Uproot
by roraewrites
Summary: /Complete/ "Sakura, please wake up…" He began to flee from the scene, looking for their orange coated friend. Panic and worry overtook Sasuke's features as he found Naruto; just as lifeless as Sakura was. [AU; Sakura lives with the curse mark.]
1. Memories and Remorse

**Uproot**  
Memories and Remorse

 _/Hey guys! This is an updated author's note (March 31st, 2017), but I'd just like to say that this was my very first story I have ever written, AND finished. While I've been considering rewriting it, I've decided on keeping it the same. It's a great reminder for me to see where I started, and how far I've come. Anyways, if there's any errors, I've left them behind on purpose. :) I'm proud that this was my first story ever completed. If you've got any words whether it be praise or concrit, drop a review! If you liked this story, I've got more fics in the works._

 _-Ro._

* * *

She woke up in the middle of the night with cold sweat beads running down her temples, and infusing with the soft strands of pink hair. Bringing her hand up to wipe the sweat away from her forehead, her green eyes cracked slightly and she began to sit up.

The cold and musty smell of her room overtook her body as she began to remember where she was; it had been the same room for her for the past three years. Nothing but stone walls and a stone floor, a small desk in the corner of her room, and a bed perched in the opposite corner, accompanied by a small night stand.

Pushing the wet strands of pink hair from her face, she began to lay her head and body back down on her firm bed and pillow, and brought the sheets up to her chest, resting them softly against her steady moving body.

As she slowly closed her eyelids over green orbs, a sharp inhale filled the cold room with noise.

 _Don't do it._

She thought to herself as a tear threatened to escape the corner of her eye.

She squeezed her eyes shut, locking in any tear that attempted to roll down her cheeks.

 _Good. Count to five._

The woman exhaled slowly through her nose as she began the countdown in her head, slender fingers gripping at the sheet that laid across her body.

 _One._

A vision of a small blonde hair girl handing her a red ribbon and encouraging her to be confident with herself flashed through her mind in the darkness.

 _Two._

Multiple days spent in the fields in the Fire Country, picking flowers while she was learning to be a kunoichi flickered from the corner of her mind.

 _Three._

She finally passed her final exam at the academy and became a Genin. Her forehead protector then replaced the red ribbon that had been given to her from her once blonde haired friend; the visions began to focus and become clear in her mind.

 _Four._

She had been assigned to her team; Team 7, with Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake was their sensei.

 _Five._

The pain that she felt course through her neck as the Grass Ninja clamped down, hard. The mere memory of her jumping in front of her love, Sasuke Uchiha, and being granted the black inky curse mark shattered any hope that she had flowing through her mind. Her hands began to rip the sheets as the memory ate away at the corner of her mind. The muscles in her body pulsed as the curse mark began to throb in her dark and shadow covered room. Small gasps began to escape her mouth.

As she let go of her hold on the tears that sat impatiently at her clenched eyelids, the hot tears began to flow down her perfect cheek bones; some landing in her hair, others landing on the bed that held her small body.

 _I only wanted to protect you, Sasuke. And now, I want to become strong for you. Show you that I, too, am capable of being strong._

The thought of Sasuke catching her body once the venom from the curse mark entered in through her neck, overtook her mind, and images of the worry that coated the young Uchiha's face danced through her mind.

 **xxx**

 _He sat there, Sasuke did, perched on the branch, paralyzed, as Sakura finally came to her senses and realized that the Grass Nin was heading straight for Sasuke; sharp, venomous teeth aimed for his neck._

 _Pushing her mind to reach out to her legs, she finally had the will power and was propelling ever so gracefully towards the raven haired boy._

 _"Sasuke!" A shrill shriek escaped the pink maned girl as she lowered her shoulder, and knocked the Uchiha to the side; her shoulder engaging with his ribcage. His body flew to the side like a ragdoll and merely made contact with her emerald eyes as the Grass Nin bit down on her neck, hard. Pain coated her eyes as they glazed over and darkened._

 _An immediate scream escaped from her small mouth as the Grass Nin let go, smirking._

 _"My, my. What timing, darling." The Grass Nin snickered as she began to back away, wiping the saliva from the corners of her mouth. "You aren't an Uchiha, but we can make it work."_

 _"Like hell you will!" The Uchiha came in, full force, kicking the jaw of the snake like woman. Loud cracks could be heard as her jaw hung there, obviously broken. A smirk graced the corner of the woman's face as she watched the Uchiha pick the lifeless pinkette up and cradle her in his arms._

 _"Sakura!" Sasuke yelled, as he looked at the blood began to bubble up and out of the two holes from the sharp teeth, black marks soon bubbled up onto her cream skin. They looked like three oddly placed tear drops; pitch black and mysterious._

 _Inhumane chuckles creaked from the Grass Nin as she began to fade from the scene._

 _"She'll do just fine."_

 _The Sharingan in the Uchiha's eyes began to spin as he caressed Sakura, wiping the sweat and dirt from her face as he picked her up and cradled her in his arms._

 _"Sakura, please wake up…" He began to flee from the scene, looking for their orange coated friend. Panic and worry overtook his features as he found Naruto; just as lifeless as Sakura was._

 _ **Alone, again.**_

 _The Uchiha carried his teammates to safety, and protected them from any surrounding threats; keeping a close eye on them both. He denied every thought that coursed through his head that they were dead, just like his clan._

 **xxx**

As her mind was brought back to reality and the memories faded, she whipped her head to the side as light began to pour in from the cracked door. A shadow covered face poked in, small reflections bouncing off the lenses that balanced on the nose of the human; Kabuto. Her body sat up and she narrowed her emerald orbs.

" _Sakura-chan_ ," the white haired medic sneered. "Orochimaru is waiting for you. You're late for training."

Sakura's eyebrows knit together and her teeth sunk into her lower lip. She hated Kabuto; although he was the shinobi who had overseen her medical training and worked on her chakra control, as well as teaching her to adjust and use the damned curse mark. She instantly lifted a small hand to case around the left side of her neck; finger nails digging in.

"Get going." It was an order before the door clicked shut and Sakura was now up and standing by her bed.

She pulled on the clothing that she had picked out herself while under the training of Orochimaru since she hated his standard white shirt, black pants, and the signature purple rope that all of his underlings wore. Instead, she wore a black tank top, a very exaggerated v-cut down the front of the tank and ended at the top of her belly button. A blood red bandou sat underneath the mesh armour that was pulled skin tight against her torso. Cream colored short shorts sat snuggly around her waist, and stopped above half way down her thigh. She kept the black spandex look that she had worn as a Genin in Konoha, keeping her respectable woman parts covered, but having enough movement in the small amount of clothing that she wore. She had her wrists and forearms taped and wrapped in bandages, along with her upper right thigh; kunai pouch tightly attached to her thigh.

As she zipped her boots up and snapped the buttons closed, she smoothed her hair and tied the purple ribbon – only to please Orochimaru, since she refused to wear his purple rope – around her head, pink locks falling and brushing the backs of her arms.

 _Sasuke likes girls with long hair._

She thought to herself as she reached for the knob of the door and turned it. Sakura existed her dark room and walked into the light filled corridor that was surrounded by nothing but stone. The pink haired woman began her walk towards Orochimaru.

 **. . .**

"Ah, Sakura-chan." The snake Sannin's words slid smoothly out of his mouth, slithering almost. "It seems as though you're late, child." His voice filled the large and dim-lighted room. This room was also surrounded in dirty stones, emitting a yellow hue. Six large pillars ran from the floor all the way up to the ceiling, and snake designs had been carved into every single one. The way their bodies flowed up the stone pillars was almost hypnotizing; a very unique design. The carved serpent's bodies looked like they danced when the torches flickered their orange and red hues; shadows descending over the bumpy textures of their bodies.

Sakura kept her eyes on the ground and her fists at her sides; white knuckles ached from how hard she squeezed them shut. She hated the way that both Kabuto and Orochimaru said her name, the way it fell off of their lips. It made her skin crawl with disgust. The pink haired woman always wanted to leave, she didn't even want to be here. Her motivation to being here was only for the boy that she loved.

 _Sasuke._

She left her beloved village, left it all behind her. Sakura sought out Orochimaru for the power and strength that she desired; she wanted it to show that she wasn't weak anymore. She wanted to prove to Sasuke that she wasn't a mere child who was useless. Her cherry blossom hair tickled her shoulder blades as she felt the breeze from someone walk by her; Kabuto.

"You know, you really need to quit that day dreaming. It's getting annoying." Kabuto hissed to her in an aggressive whisper as he made his way to Orochimaru's sitting form.

 _Annoying._

A whirwind of memories swept through Sakura's mind as she thought about Sasuke. She craved to be able to see him, see what he had become. Show him what she had done over the course of her three years of being away from him, from Naruto, from the Hidden Leaf.

"Whatever." The sharp remark filled the large room. She felt the intense glare from yellow and dark eyes that looked at her, tension filling the void. Kabuto smirked as Orochimaru pushed himself up and away from his seat, stalking towards the pink haired woman; like a snake slithering towards its prey.

"Sakura-chan, what's wrong?" His body was perched right in front of hers, and he brought a pale and cold hand up to her chin and grabbed at it. Pulling her face to look up and into his eyes. The black slits in his eyes narrowing as her emerald eyes darkened. "We had an agreement. You came to me in order to save your beloved Uchiha. I agreed not to make his body my next vessel, yours either. But here we are. You're ignoring everything I've been saying lately. Sleeping in, not showing up to training, mouthing off. That temper of yours is going to get you in trouble, child."

The snake Sannin dropped her chin and narrowed his eyes at her before turning his back and walking the other direction. He had made two steps into his journey back to his chair, until cold blade sat at the bottom of his spine; a stinging sensation overtook his body as the kunai pressed into a pressure point. Kabuto's eye widened at the sudden realization that Sakura had moved quickly and quietly and was now pushed up and against Orochimaru's back.

"My, Sakura-"

His words were cut off when the hum of chakra and the burning of hot metal seared against his skin. The searing put on his pressure point began to ring and burn through his body as he twisted slightly, trying to look at the ignorant woman.

" _Don't_ talk about Sasuke." Sakura threatened, digging the kunai deeper into his clothed back. Blood began to seep through the wound and stain his light shirt.

Sakura received nothing more than a nod and she felt the body that her kunai was plunging deeper into relax. Canceling the chakra that she sent through her kunai, she pulled it out and turned her back to the Sannin, beginning her walk back to where she stood previously.

As she suspected, Kabuto was already at her side with chakra infused scalpels forming at the tips of his fingers.

 _You idiot._

She smirked to herself as he flung his hand forward, aimed at her abdomen. Making contact with the pink haired woman's body, a mere log took her spot through a puff of smoke and his face dropped at the rookie move.

 _Substitution._

As she had timed it perfectly, her chakra infused fist was already making contact with his jaw, knocking his glasses off of his face and sending his body flying into a pillar.

The smirk remained on Sakura's face as she cracked her knuckles, looking at the heavily breathing medic. "Thanks for all the chakra control lessons, Kabuto. They've come in handy." She mocked as she turned towards the chuckling Orochimaru.

"Damn you, _Sakura_!" Kabuto spit out between gasps of air, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. The white haired shinobi's eyes were squinting at the dimly lit figure with pink hair.

"Sakura-chan, Kabuto, _that's enough_." Orochimaru hissed before grabbing Sakura's arm and pulling her roughly towards the doors of the room. "Do something useful with that temper of yours, or I'll get rid of _you_." Her body was then pushed out of the room; Kabuto's scoff could be heard as the doors shut.

And with that, Sakura was walking her angry and throbbing body back down to her room. Just as she reached the door that housed her stuff, she nearly ripped it off the hinges during her fit. Throwing her body down on her bed, the hot tears that had been bottled up since she was thrown out of the training room began to roll.

Just as she brought her hand up to wipe the tears away, she noticed the smooth and flowing traces of the black curse that stretched out and over her arm. The all too familiar pattern had etched itself inside the pink haired woman's mind; smooth black lines with jagged spikes that submerged from the solid line. It had almost looked like vines with thorns that stuck out, and whenever she lost her temper, the smooth vine and thorn look submerged from the curse seal on her neck.

 _Count to five._

Inner Sakura hadn't been the same since she left Konoha. Instead of the rowdy and happy-go-lucky conscious, she was quiet and mellow. She acted as the light that stood out in the midst of all the stress and troubles that coursed through Sakura's mind.

As she reached five, the curse seal was neatly tucked away in the base of Sakura's neck and no longer throbbed. She could see clearly again, and at that, she pushed herself up from the bed and made her way towards the exit of the hideout.

She'd put her temper to use by training. Training and thinking of ideas on how she would escape; escape and never return to this dark and damp place. Sakura tightened the purple ribbon around her head and pushed chakra to her feet, sprinting towards the light filled exit.

 _I'll escape and come back to the village. I'll make up for what I've done. I want to see my family, my friends, Sasuke._

 **. . .**

Sweat drenched the charcoal gray shirt of the shinobi as he dowsed his target in the orange and red flames from his clan's signature jutsu. The flames lunged and bit viciously at the orange clothed ninja as he ducked and lunged out of the way; the tips of his blonde hair had been singed.

Blue eyes flicked to the attacker and immediate whining started bellowing out of his loud mouth.

"Oi! Watch it, teme!"

"Be on your toes, Naruto." Their silver haired sensei watched from the trees; he sat atop a branch, watching lazily as his students faced off to their heart's content. Kakashi looked back down at his orange covered book after being interrupted by a yell from the loud mouthed shinobi.

Naruto knitted his eyebrows together as he glared at his opponent; the dark haired man with history that weighed down on his shoulders. His rebellious black spikes made the man stand out in a crowd, and his pale, porcelain features acted as a magnet to multiple girls and women. He had a sculpted, well built body; toned down to every last muscle in his body. His spinning Sharingan made eye contact with bright blue eyes, and a smirk graced the man's lips.

 _Sasuke Uchiha._

"When are you going to stop messing around and actually fight me?" The Uchiha mocked his blonde haired friend before dodging multiple punches and kicks.

Naruto brought his leg up to kick the dark haired man's jaw, but was grabbed almost instantly out of the air. A rib crushing knee to the ribcage suddenly brought Naruto to the ground, grasping his side and gasping for air instantaneously.

Sweat mixed with blood dripped from both of the men; one standing and one kneeling on the ground.

"Damn, teme. That actually hurt." Naruto coughed out before standing up, arm still cradling his ribcage. "I may need to go to the hospital for once."

Sasuke merely smirked and patted Naruto on the back before walking away. "I'll see you around."

The Uchiha pulled his sweat drenched shirt off over his head and off of his body as he made his walk towards his apartment, the cool breeze felt nice against his hot and aching body. The sky above him was beginning to glow orange from the setting sun, and he was in the mood for a cold shower, dinner, and going to sleep tonight. His thoughts began to wander as he made his way through the village, straight in through his apartment door, and right to his shower.

Sasuke shed his clothes off his body and stood under cold running water, soothing the aches and bruises that decorated his body. As he let the water run, he began to think of his clan, his brother. His Genin days, and back to the day of the Chunin exams when he was caught paralyzed.

He thought about _her_.

Her name was taboo to him, and just hearing her name made him shudder. His muscles would tense and his stomach would tighten up, feeling as though it had shriveled up inside of him. His heart would stutter and miss a beat, and his body would go numb.

No one understood why she left Konoha; she lived and breathed for this village. The Uchiha would dream of her constantly, remembering the feel of her against his arms, the way she would say his name, the way she cared for him. His teeth clenched as he thought of her, cool water streaming in through the corners of his mouth.

The memories of how sweet she had always been to him always haunted his dreams. Deep down, Sasuke had cared for the pink haired girl, but goals and motives had pushed and nudged him towards the darkness that called for him. He ignored every attempt that she tried of wanting to be with him.

He ignored _her_.

Except for that one day that changed fate, the day that she saved him. Not from the darkness, but from himself.

Dark hair was now surrounding his face as he was hunched over in the shower, fists slammed again the tiled walls in his shower. The cold liquid began to burn into his skin as he came back to reality. His hands and fingers were now wrinkled and pruned from the time he had spent day dreaming in the shower, and the texture of the cotton towel felt foreign to him.

He quickly dried his pale body off, slipped into some sweats, and left his bathroom and went straight to the comfort of his bed; dinner hadn't sounded appealing to him anymore.

The comfort of his bed soon started to seep into his muscles and his tired onyx eyes began to glaze over as exhaustion seeped into his mind.

Exhaling deeply, he let his conscious slip into a deep slumber; his dreams welcomed the thoughts of a pink haired girl with exotic emerald eyes.

 _Why did you leave, Sakura?_


	2. Defiance

**Uproot**  
Defiance

* * *

"Get up."

That deep voice from the white haired medic ninja always pushed certain buttons within Sakura. It always made her arm hairs stand up, and her fingers would curl in on themselves; the skin around her knuckles turning white. The pinkette turned her face so she made eye contact with the dark eyes that stared at her from behind the glass lenses. Her training from the day before had become so tiring that her body eventually just gave up on her, and there she was. Lying on the cold and dirty ground, wooden dummies surround her as her motionless body lie on the ground, crippled and beaten up from her day of training.

 _Chakra exhaustion._

Sakura blinked her green eyes before turning her head to look back up at the ceiling of the enclosed room. She slowly sat up and her muscles all ached with pain. The pinkette's finely toned arms throbbed with cuts and bruises that traced down over her biceps and forearms. Sakura simply blinked at her limbs before sending the warm glow of green chakra over herself, watching her skin cells slowly mend back together, and the bruises turn from purples and blues, to light shades of yellows and browns.

"I said get up." A sharp order came from Kabuto's mouth before walking to the woman sitting on the ground; kicking her foot aside and crossing his arms with a scowl on his face. The look of determination ran wildly in his eyes. His white eyebrows knitted themselves together when he only got a smirk in response from Sakura.

Sakura looked down at the ground, dropping both hands into the dirt and rumble to play with a small stone that she had found. Pinching it in between her fingers, the smirk on her face grew into a mischievous smile.

"I'm done taking orders from _you_." Pink locks of hair fell over her emerald eyes as she remained looking down. The skin on her fingers began to break from the rough edges of the stone; pinching the stone turned into an anger outlet before she snapped Orochimaru's servant in half.

"You'll listen to me whether you like it or not."

This time instead of a kick to the foot, a hard knee was brought into the side of Sakura's head. Her body tumbled to the side and a soft groan came from the woman's figure. As she began to push herself up, a wave of dizziness overtook her body. She reached up and grabbed at the side of her head, a swollen knot forming above her ear and pain coursed throughout the side of her face - behind her eyes, over the bridge of her nose, and her ears rang.

"Let's go. Lord Orochimaru has something for you to do." Kabuto began to walk out of the room as Sakura finally pushed herself up to her feet. She gritted her teeth together to restrain from ripping the medic apart. Her curse mark throbbed to come out and play, but she inhaled and exhaled; her inner self hummed soft, melodic tunes that fluttered through her body.

Sakura finally came off of her adrenaline high and began to stumble after Kabuto, making her way to Orochimaru. Whatever he wanted now was definitely going to piss her off.

 **. . .**

The feeling of a snake curling around her neck and constricting her windpipe caused Sakura to choke up at the words that came out of Orochimaru's mouth. Swallowing hard, she looked down to the ground and bit her lower lip. A slight breeze blew through her long pink locks; dancing through the many different shades of pink. She finally exhaled through her nose and looked up to meet the eyes of the snake Sannin.

"Sakura, if you don't find Sasuke for me, then I'll happily find him myself." Orochimaru's words stung into her like the venom from a snake.

"I'll go." The gears in the pinkette's brain started to turn and grind and she could feel a plan working itself out within her mind.

Turning on her heal and beginning her walk out of the corridor, she was stopped by the sound of a sigh. She stopped in her place and turned her head at the sound of Orochimaru getting up from his seat.

"Also, if you think about never coming back, it'll be the last thing you do."

A toothy grin pulled at Sakura's mouth before she started walking towards the doors again. Her beating heart began to pound against her rib cage and the saliva in her mouth started to dry up at the thought of seeing Sasuke again. Even if she had grown within the amount of time that she had been gone, she couldn't begin to imagine how Sasuke had grown, but not even him. She thought about Naruto, and Kakashi as well. She thought about her family, and the rest of her friends at the village. As Sakura pushed through the doors and turned to make her way for her room, a silent tear had pushed its way out from behind her eyes.

As the door closed behind her, she was already at a dead sprint for her room.

 _I'm going to come back to you, Sasuke._

 **xxx**

 _"What do you **mean** we're going to go find her?!" Naruto shouted into the Fifth Hokage's face. Anger and pent up emotions filled his oceanic eyes as his hands flew up in the air. The hot headed blonde turned his back to the female and walked to the window to distract himself from the current conversation taking place._

 _"I have been asked, and asked, and asked again. You have **bugged** me to go and find her, Naruto. You have asked me countless times. So here it is, your one and only opportunity to go and find Sakura. I'm not sure how the consequences will turn out for her if and when you find her, but they won't be pretty." Tsunade, with her honey filled eyes barked back to the blonde shinobi. The two other men in the room; Kakashi and Sasuke, stood uncomfortably still while watching the meltdown of Naruto fill the Hokage's office._

 _"So why are you giving us the chance now? When you wouldn't give us this chance months ago?" Naruto pursued the issue further until his sensei clasped his shoulder._

 _"Accept the mission that we've been given, and quit arguing. It won't get you anywhere." Kakashi stated, his one eye tracking from Tsunade, down to his student._

 _The frustration began to mellow inside of the blonde haired youth as he looked at Sasuke, who still hadn't moved. He remained still, staring at the Hokage with an emotionless stare plastered all over his face._

 _"Teme!" Naruto shrieked. Walking to his friend now, nudging his elbow before Sasuke took his elbow back and made eye contact with Naruto._

 _"What, dobe." The cold tone in his voice cut through whatever thoughts Naruto had cooking up in his mind and brought Naruto back to reality. Sasuke looked back to the blonde Hokage who was now sitting, hands folded together and her chin resting on top of them - awaiting an answer from the three shinobi._

 _"We'll go, Tsunade." Thoughts of a pink haired girl walking through the dark filled his mind. He so badly wished he had opened up to her when she was still here. Wished that he would have taken the many chances she had offered him while she was here._

 ** _You don't even know if she's alive._**

 _The thought disrupted his mind and his fists clenched at his sides before he began to frown._

"We _leave at dawn." Sasuke ordered before brushing past Naruto and Kakashi. He heard a simple sigh fall from Tsunade's mouth as the doors closed behind him._

 **xxx**

Golden streaks of sunlight has just begun to peak over the mountain tops, glazing the tops of trees in the Hidden Leaf with different hues of golds and yellow dust. The birds of the country sang their morning songs and welcomed the new day in the shinobi world. Small, nearly transparent clouds spotted the light blue sky, and a soft breeze swept through the village. Three shinobi stood at the gates to the village and awaited their time to take off on their mission.

Sasuke was now filled with emotions he didn't like to feel. Worry, guilt, and the one he had always welcomed, pain. That was one thing that Sakura was good at, and it was making him feel emotions. Although she had made him happy at times in the past, he never showed it to her. Sasuke had always come off as cold and heartless to the one girl that always made sure he was comfortable and happy; and now all he felt was regret for the way he treated her.

"Oi. Do you think they'll punish Sakura pretty bad?" Naruto questioned as the three took off from the village. Chakra had been sent to their feet and began their adventure through the trees.

"Let's not think about that right now, Naruto. Our objective is to find Sakura." Their silver haired sensei offered a smile from under his mask as he led the way through the trees. The tracking part of the mission was going to take the longest, and it was either fight or be killed once they found her.

 _Why did you leave?_

The thought always made this cycle through the Uchiha's head, constantly asking himself why she left? Is she still alive? If she is, what is she doing, or thinking about right now? He could never get Sakura off of his mind, no matter how hard he tried. While they adventured through the trees, he finally noticed that a pair of blue eyes had been watching him. He met Naruto's eyes with a scowl before turning his head and focusing on jumping again.

Finally the intense stare from Naruto annoyed him.

"Quit being annoying, dobe." Sasuke snapped, attracting the attention of Kakashi.

"He used the word 'annoying!' That must mean that I have a special place in your heart-"!" Naruto teased before dodging a kunai at the last minute. "Oi, teme!"

"Hn." The black haired man smirked before returning his attention to jumping through trees. He has caught a smirk on Kakashi's face as well, the wrinkles of skin by his eye giving away the concealed smirk.

"Now that you two are done messing around, we'll be traveling all day until we reach the border of the Fire Country. We will set camp up along there and begin tracking tomorrow." Kakashi ordered. The two younger shinobi nodded in agreement as they made their way to the border.

 **. . .**

The sky and all of her surroundings were still soaked in the pale moonlight as she left Orochimaru's hideout and made her way through the shadow infested forest. There wasn't much of anything that the pink haired kunoichi feared anymore, except for losing her friends (if she had any anymore), not being accepted back into the village, and losing her beloved Sasuke. Running around in the dark didn't startle her nerves anymore, it had been something she'd grown accustom to since her time with Orochimaru and Kabuto.

After a couple hours of traveling, Sakura finally came to a hault at the edge of an open field. Setting her bag down on the ground and taking a seat next to it, she casually laid back and rest her head on her bag and peered up at the sky. Smalls stars twinkled in the sky that was slowly reverting from dark blues, the warm purples and maroons. The pinkette no sooner found herself dozing off and waking up to a light blue sky with rays of sun expanding though out it. Sitting up quickly, she scanned the area around her for any chakra signatures and grabbed her bag and began her journey back into the forest. The field would've been the shortest route, but the most dangerous. Instead, she opted to make her way through the forest.

Sakura gritted her teeth as the day went on. Heat and sunshine etching itself in her creamy skin, along with the sweat that ran down the sides of her face. Coming across a small river, she concealed her chakra, set her bag down on the ground, and knelt next to the flowing river. The pinkette cupped the cool liquid into her hands and splashed it up into her face, ridding any dirt and grime that had come from her journey so far.

"There's a town coming up, not too far from here..." She spoke quietly to herself as she dried her face off and continued to rummage for her water bottle in her bag. After quenching her thirst and braiding her hair into a loose French braid with her ribbon tied securely around her head, she made her way towards the town. "Might as well get some medical supplies just in case. And some more food."

Once the trees started to thin out, and the small town that Sakura had noted was in view, she hopped down from the tree branch she was perched on and continued on the dirt path. The town was a medium sized town; a fair amount of people, small sit down restaurants, shops, and even a small motel. She thanked Kami for the motel that she had stumbled across and went about her way with getting a room booked for that night.

Once Sakura paid for her room and received her room key, she worked her way down the hall and up the small flight of stairs. Upon reaching her room, she grabbed some ryo and tossed her bag to the side.

While she stocked up on not only medical supplies, she grabbed various amounts of fruit, and a couple more kunai for her kunai pouch - a ninja can never have too many. Smiling to herself over her new stock of supplies, she decided to go back to her room and make dinner then get a night of rest. Tomorrow would be the day she would find Sasuke.

 **. . .**

Her walk back to her room was quiet and peaceful. Only the gravel being kicked and moved around by the many different villagers, along with the small chatter sounded through out the town. Sakura began to see the motel building come into sight when she heard smalls cries coming from somewhere nearby.

 _Ignore it._

Inner Sakura ordered, stomping her foot down and demanding obedience. Sakura frowned on the outside. She was helpful, and the cries sounded rather distressed.

 _It wouldn't hurt to see what's going on._

Turning on her heal, the kunoichi made her way towards a small side road that veered off from the main road through town.

"Hello?" Her small question traveled through the vacated space.

No reply.

"Is anyone here?" Sakura began to take curt, small steps down the road. To no avail, the cries had stopped. Shrugging to herself, she turned around and began walking towards the motel.

At the sound of the distressed cry, Sakura's curse mark throbbed, and goosebumps covered her entire body.

"Please, stop!"

Sakura was already pumping chakra to her feet, honing in on the area that the cry came from. She was certain this time that she knew where it was coming from. Finally coming to a small gap in a broken down, and rather old looking building, she squeezed her body inside of the gap. The pinkette didn't need to scan the building for any signatures, for the door in front of her - gaping wide open - stood three men above a middle aged man, kicking and beating the guy senseless. Smalls moans and groans came from the man, along with many coughs and small whimpers. Sakura's curse mark screamed and boiled from beneath her skin.

"Three on one, eh?" The tone of the kunoichi's voice was cold and sharp. Her emerald eyes glared daggers into the offenders. She couldn't sense one chakra pulse from any of the three men, and that meant that they weren't shinobi; just regular old thugs.

All at once, the three thugs turned to Sakura, rather startled expressions in their faces. Upon seeing a pink haired woman, they merely laughed at the site.

"Get outta here, wench." What she assumed was the leader jabbed at her, shooing her away with a flick of the wrist.

"How about you leave him alone before I make you leave him alone." Sakura demanded. Her temper was bubbling on the inside, and the curse mark was only fueled by her anger.

"I would love to see that, little girl."

A smirk overtook Sakura's features and she set her supplies that she had recently bought neatly on the floor of the old building. Her temper began to give way at the gnawing from the curse mark on her neck and she figured she could control what little bit wanted to come out and play. As she took one step towards the trio, she felt her curse mark begin to expand down and across her neck and chest, and throughout her left arm; a pattern of inky black thorns decorated her creamy skin. The eyes of the trio of thugs began to widen at the site of the cursed lines running down the pinkette's arm.

"Hey! Just what the hell are you?!" The smallest of the three cried out, side stepping so his body was concealed by the leader of the three. Fear was clearly written over all three of their faces.

"I'm just a little girl. What could I possibly do?" Inner Sakura sneered at her remark; sass came naturally for Sakura. "So who wants to go first?"

The leader of the group swallowed hard. He began to take cautious steps back, his followers doing the same. Their heads began to turn and look for a way out as Sakura approached them, cracking one knuckle at a time until she was three feet in front of them.

"I'll give you options: leave this man alone for good, or you'll deal with me. Got it? Okay, good!" She chirped, stepping to the side as the three began to exit the building. Before all three could get away from her, she grabbed the leader's shirt and yanked him back. Pulling his body so he was planted firmly in front of her, she glared into his eyes.

"I'm serious. Don't bother this man again."

A small whimper and a nod of the head confirmed that there wouldn't be anymore trouble happening from the three of them. Sakura released his body and shoved him away from her and towards the gap in the wall; he tripped and scrambled to get away from her and out of the broken down building. The pinkette merely smiled to herself before making her way towards the middle aged man who was now curling up in a ball to defend himself from Sakura.

"Please... Please don't hurt me. I'll give you whatever you want, just please don't hurt me anymore..." The middle aged man groaned through short coughs of blood. He had been bruised, cut, and possibly a few fractures. The man had obviously had a rough go with the thugs and didn't want do deal with anymore trouble, so Sakura crouched so she was at eye level with him. Her curse mark began to recede back to its home on her neck; thorn etched lines dancing across her skin. When she finally felt it tuck itself away inside of her, she exhaled and met pale blue eyes with her green ones.

"I'm Sakura. I see that you're hurt, and I can help you. Can you tell me what exactly they did, and what hurts the most on your body?" The medic offered her small hands towards the man to show that she wouldn't hurt him anymore than he was already hurting. He finally began to reach his hand out to hers. Covered in blood and dirt, he softly grasped her small hand and gave a brief smile.

"My name is Naku."

Sakura smiled and they began to converse. Naku went into detail about who those thugs were, how they terrorize the town, what they do and how they do it. He explained what was hurting on him, and Sakura began her healing chakra and ran over the spots on his body. To her surprise, nothing was seriously hurt, Naku had just had a great scare. Once she was done healing the middle aged man, she slowly pulled him to his feet and stabilized him. Naku thanked her for coming to his rescue and returning him home to his family who had also been greatful for the pink haired shinobi.

After her adventure of saving a local, she returned back to her course for the motel. Night had began to settle in on her way back, and she couldn't help but feel as though she was being watched as she reached the front door to the motel. A sudden urge swept over her as she felt the flicker of chakra, and then the feeling of it disappeared; she looked to the rooftops of the town only to find nothing. Shrugging it off, she figured it was time for bed after her eventful day. Once she got her supplies put away, she took a quick shower to wash the day away and crawled into the small and uncomfortable bed - at least it was better than sleeping on the forest floor.

Sakura began to drift to sleep until the bittersweet memory of finding Sasuke for Orochimaru coursed through her brain. Anxiety and annoyance embedded itself within her mind as she gritted her teeth. Opening her eyes and exhaling through her nose, she turned to her other side and cursed the snake Sannin.

She wished she had never left the village in order to get stronger, but she did it for Sasuke. Everything she did was for Sasuke; Sakura only wanted him to notice her and realize that she wasn't weak anymore, but strong like the rest of them. She shook her head at her thoughts and finally let the silence of the night enter her mind and take her consciousness away to the land of slumber.

That night brought dreams filled with tears and soft cries coming from a younger Sakura - training in a musty smelling room while under close watch of Orochimaru and Kabuto.

Her body and mind ached for the day she would finally be reunited with Team 7, her family, and the Hidden Leaf Village.

 **. . .**

A fuming Uchiha and a nonstop talking Naruto had been sent to the town by Kakashi that day to stock up on supplies and search for one pink haired comrade; although they weren't asked to do that, but the men kept watchful eyes out for Sakura.

Sasuke did all the talking at the vendor stalls and left Naruto to keep an eye out for Sakura, mainly because Sasuke knew what they needed and Naruto would spend their money mindlessly. To no avail, no pink haired woman was seen that night. As they bagged the rest of their supplies and began their walk back to their camp on the outskirts of town, Sasuke heard an unexpected story coming from a man and his wife that were spotted with a group of people.

"Did she really make sure that those thugs won't bother the town anymore?!" A woman asked excitedly, clamping the man on the shoulder with a huge smile.

"She did! I was thankful she showed up, or I would've been a goner." The man pouted a bit, but kept an excited smile on his face, his wife held onto his hand.

"Is she still in town? I would love to see her pink hair!"

Everything inside of Sasuke stopped. His breathing, his heart, his blood stopped cold in his veins at the mention of a woman spotted with pink hair. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of Naruto's arm and began to pull him towards the crowd of people.

"Teme! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Did you say a girl with pink hair saved you?" The Uchiha pushed through the people and stopped before the man. Sasuke was now panting short breaths, hoping that he heard the story correctly.

"Yeah! She said her name was Sakura." Naku smiled at the blonde haired shinobi and the Uchiha; Naruto's mouth was now gaping wide and Sasuke's eyes were the size of the moon. "She swooped in just-"

"What way did she go." Sasuke was no longer asking questions, but demanding answers.

"Oi, that's not nice, teme." Naruto smacked Sasuke upside the head before turning to Naku. "Do you know what way she headed?" Kindness filled Naruto's question.

"That way, over there. I'm not sure where she's staying or if she's even here, but... Why do you want to know?" The middle aged man ask curiously, rubbing his chin with his thumb and index finger, squinting slightly.

"She's our friend and we've been looking for her!" Naruto blurted before being drug away by a fuming Uchiha. "Thank you!"

The shinobi pushed chakra to their feet and began hopping across the rooftops, side by side. The sun had started to go down, and dark blues began to spread across the sky. The lamps and lights from the buildings kept the streets well lit, just enough to spot a pink haired woman. Sasuke scowled to himself to the feeling of his heart being in his throat. Sharingan eyes began to scout the streets, and he reached out, trying to find the chakra signature of his pink haired comrade. The questions he would ask her when he found her would be unlimited, but the minute he found her, he wasn't sure what he would do. As much as he wanted to feel her in his arms, he couldn't bring himself to lose control like that. The Uchiha clan was proud and proper. Acts like that wouldn't fly, but he would feel more emotions at once at the chance of being in her presence again.

 _Three years. It's been too long Sakura. It's time to come home._

"No way!" An excited whisper and a pinch from Naruto brought Sasuke back to his senses and he followed the pointing finger of Naruto. At the end of his line of sight was a slender, pink haired woman walking with a basket.

Sasuke's heart stopped and then began to stutter. He needed to see her face, to be next to her. Sasuke needed _her_.

"Let's go get her!" Naruto exclaimed before being tackled by Sasuke.

"Shut up, dobe! Conceal your chakra, you idiot." Sasuke ordered, Naruto followed orders. "We need to inform Kakashi and come back for her. In the meantime, we know where she will be and we can simply follow her in the morning. Got it?"

Naruto nodded his head before pushing Sasuke off. The blonde glared at his friend before the Leaf shinobi headed back to their camp, supplies in hand. Upon reaching camp, they informed Kakashi of finding Sakura and knowing where she would be staying that night. The three of them cooked up a plan that they all agreed on, ate dinner, and worked out their schedule for who would be on what watch rotation that night; Naruto first, Kakashi second, and Sasuke last.

 **. . .**

Sasuke's rotation had come rather quickly, due to the fact that he didn't sleep at all except for stare at the stars and moon and think of what the reunion with Sakura would be like. His inner emotions washed through his body like a tsunami, taking everything over and jumbling his thoughts.

 _I need to see her._

Once he felt the soft flicker of chakra pulsing from both Naruto and Kakashi, Sasuke set out towards the town in search for Sakura and the place she was staying at. Traveling through the dark was made easy due to his Sharingan, and within an hour, he was standing at the end of the road of the town; Sakura's chakra signature was burning hot and rigid. The kunoichi was awake and making her move.

Sasuke concealed his chakra and waited for the kunoichi to pass by. He would track her down in the forest, a more secluded area.

Once the burning hot chakra began to grow closer to the end of the road, it began to mellow out and become transparent, almost disappearing. Luckily, Sasuke was already tracking the kunoichi through the last remaining bits of the town, and began their adventure through the forest. Sakura had grown and was now faster, but not faster than Sasuke.

The Uchiha followed her for twenty minutes before exhaling his last deep breath and making his move. One shuriken would alarm her enough to catch her attention, and that is exactly what he did. The pinkette stopped atop a branch and crouched to a defensive stance, chakra fumed from her now.

Sasuke made his way through the shadows of the trees, making sure that she caught site of his silhouette so that she would follow. Moonlight washed in through the trees of the forest and began to light the way for the two. The Uchiha could feel her hot on his tracks. Finally slowing down, the whisper of a kunai soared over the top of his ear, and he came to a halt. The sizzling of chakra could be heard coming from behind him, and at the nick of time, he turned to catch her arm and stopped the punch that was aimed for his jaw.

The look of determination burned in her emerald eyes, but all of that determination shattered once she made eye contact with the crimson eyes staring into her green orbs. Salty, hot liquids began to form at the corners of her eyes and her facial expression dropped. Her body began to quiver and the chakra surrounding her fist faded away. She dropped her fist before taking a step away from the man. Sasuke still had a hold of her arm and could feel the shaking radiating from the core of her body.

Sasuke watched as his old comrade took a step away from him again, pulling her arm from his grip. Her body was now bathed in the white glow of moonlight, and his heart stopped at the site of how she had grown. She no longer had the face of a child, but a matured female. Perfectly smoothed cheeks, very long and shiny hair, a petite nose, and smooth lips. Instead of her small and weak build, she was now framed with toned arms. Her torso was solid with muscles, and her legs were long and slender. She was now taller than she had been, and filled out. Sakura had possessed so much woman inside of her now, Sasuke couldn't help but realize that she was no longer the weak girl that he had always ignored and thought poorly of.

Their eyes still made contact with each other and a word was never spoken between the two. The shinobi stood mere feet apart, soaking in the presence of one another. Finally, Sakura took a step towards the Uchiha, her hand reaching out towards him.

"Sasuke..."

Hand in hand, the Uchiha and pinkette stood in the night. There was no way she would return to Orochimaru; not now, not ever.

* * *

 **A/N** : Hello there, I'm still alive xD I would really like to apologize for my absence. But I'd like you all to know that I'm back and writing again and _hopefully_ shouldn't take a long leave of absence again. And if I do, I'll try to make a reminder for it.

Anyways, here's the second chapter, Defiance. I had fun writing this one. I plan on doing a lot more in the near future with how Sasuke and Sakura will get along and what will happen winkwink.

Don't forget to review, and thanks for reading. :D

-Ro.


	3. Reunited

**Uproot  
** Reunited

* * *

 _It can't be him. This is all a lie. It's not him._

Her heart thumped against her chest as she stared into Sasuke's eyes. Releasing his hand, she brought both of hers to her sides and clenched them as tight as she could. She was strong now, and she wouldn't let her emotions get past the hard and sturdy wall she had built. Illusion or not, she would show him she was strong. Sakura began to open her mouth to say something, but all words were gone. Finally, a sharp breeze cut through the tension filled silence; her long locks swept up and off her shoulder, dancing in the breeze. Sasuke's eyes finally moved from her own, to look at her hair.

"Sakura."

The mention of her name made her gut stir and her hands clench harder. Sakura felt as though her knuckles could rip through her skin at how hard her hands were balled up.

"Why did you do it."

Anger began to fuel her temper, and she felt fire course through her veins. The kunoichi inhaled deeply through her nose and then exhaled through her mouth before looking to the moon. The glow reached out to the curves of her face.

"I did it for myself."

 _What a bold faced lie._

Finally the glow of crimson depleted from Sasuke's eyes as he stepped towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders. His face hung right before hers now and she sucked in a deep breath; her cheeks began to heat up from the sudden reaction from Sasuke. His scent reached out to her and she could finally see his face in the glow of the night. Sakura scowled at him as he glared at her.

"You're lying, Sakura."

At his remark, she removed his hands from her shoulders and took another step back. She was now furious.

"I did it so I could become strong. I'm not weak, Sasuke. I've grown up and I can keep up with you and Naruto now. I'm strong." The words that fell from her mouth were empty and held no promises. Sakura looked into the eyes of the Uchiha. His face held no emotions.

"It's not like you cared..." She mumbled before looking away from him again. Sakura began to remember why she had left the hide out.

 _Orochimaru._

As Sakura looked back to where Sasuke was standing, he was no longer there. Her breath hitched as she felt the hairs on her neck stand up, and the hot breath exhale from his nose. His mouth was right at her ear, and his deep voice filled her mind, and voided out all thoughts that currently swam through it.

"I've thought about you every day, Sakura."

"Sasuke, I-I... Why are you out here? What are you doing?" Sakura built up her concentration and remained behind her built up and sturdy wall. She would remain strong, even through this confrontation with Sasuke mere centimeters away from her body. His heat radiated off of him and enveloped her body.

"Hn."

Bittersweet memories coursed through her brain at the small grunt that just echoed from the bottom of Sasuke's throat. Sakura's eyebrows knitted themselves together at the realization that Sasuke still hadn't cared for her the way she had for him.

 _Just punch him in the jaw!_

Inner Sakura was now feeling feisty in the presence of Sasuke and Outter Sakura began to feel her face heat up, and a deep pain began to throb in her neck. Her lower lip instantly sucked into her mouth and was punctured by her teeth. The soothing taste of metallic liquid began to pulse from her soft lip. Sasuke hadn't missed a beat of what just occurred with his old comrade.

"I came out here with Naruto and Kakashi. We're on a mission." Sasuke's voice soothed the flaring temper inside the pink haired woman. She merely turned her head to the side with a questioning expression masking her face.

"We've come for you, Sakura."

The feeling of a million mirrors shattering coursed through Sakura's body as she listened to Sasuke. She couldn't believe that her old comrades had been sent on a mission to come and find her. The pinkette had figured that they had long forgotten about her and didn't care to search for her. She _was_ the weakest link on Team 7 anyways, so why search for someone as weak as she use to be?

Instead of a throbbing pain in her neck, she felt it in her heart. Sakura began to think of her family and how worried sick they must be. Instead of seeing their daughter every day in person, they had been seeing her smiling face in a bingo book with a bounty on her head. She smirked at the idea.

"I want to go back, but I can't." Orochimaru's threat and request danced around on the tip of Sakura's mind as she stood in front of Sasuke. Sakura couldn't make out the facial expression that came to rest on Sasuke's face due to the dim light of the moon now. "Orochimaru will see to it that I don't return to Konoha. I don't want to see my friends get hurt."

"Tch." Sakura could see the toothy smirk on Sasuke's face and her eyes widened. "We can handle ourselves."

Sakura shook her head at the Uchiha before stepping away again, pulling her hands up to her chest and cradling them under her chin. Her cherry blossom locks shadowed her face as she looked down at her toes. The small rise and fall of her chest was like a soothing rock-a-by as she pondered on what was happening. First, she was standing with Sasuke, alone, in the dark after three years of not seeing him. Second, he was on a mission with their comrades to retrieve her. And third, he wasn't being rude!

The kunoichi finally moved her eyes to look at Sasuke again and offered a soft smile. "I'll come with you guys. I want to be back in Konoha."

"Good. There's someone you need to meet." Sasuke beckoned her to follow him as he turned his back and pumped chakra to his feet. He felt her hot chakra signature began to surge from behind him as they made their way through the trees and back towards Team 7's camp. The unusual signature that pulsed from her peaked the Uchiha's interest.

Sakura's heart was now beating against her chest as she thought about her blonde haired comrade, and silver haired sensei.

 _You're in for it, Sakura. What do you think the Hokage will do once you get back to Konoha? You are indeed a rogue nin._

Sakura's heart was now in her throat as she thought of the consequences that Konoha would reign down on her. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the present time. Her time she had spent with Sasuke. She focused on the branches that they were jumping to and from. Only time would tell, and she would take it as it came. A small smile graced her lips as she followed the Uchiha through the night; his signature spikes following the movements of his body as he jumped from each branch.

 **. . .**

"Sakura!" A loud squeal sounded from Naruto's throat as he opened his blue orbs from his slumber. As soon as he saw the pink hair, he was immediately encasing her small frame in his arms and hugging her tight. Sasuke rolled his eyes to himself as he watched his best friend smile like an idiot. Before he looked away from the hugging couple, he could've swore that he saw the dobe press his nose to Sakura's hair and inhale a deep breath.

"Naruto, let her go." The calm and wise voice sounded from behind the reunited couple. Naruto released Sakura and scratched the back of his head, still smiling like an idiot. The silver haired shinobi stood lazily in front of Sakura, eyeing her with his dark colored eye, finally giving her a small smile. "So it looks as though Sasuke found you first."

Sakura nodded in return before looking back at him with a soft smile, then back at Kakashi. Sasuke could tell that there was something that Sakura wasn't telling them and he was going to find out exactly what it was. Walking to his bag that was on the ground, he slung it over his shoulder before Team 7 began their journey back to Konoha.

Sasuke remained next to Sakura the whole back; watching her long pink hair flail in the wind as they jumped from branch to branch. The purple ribbon that held her hair back really clashed with not only her hair, but the rest of her outfit. He figured that she would sort that out as soon as they returned back to Konoha.

That is if Tsunade and the Council allowed her to live.

 **. . .**

As the sun began to kiss the tops of the mountains and trees good bye, dark skies began to settle above the traveling shinobi. Sakura's heart beat began to speed up in her chest as the view of the Hidden Leaf popped up into sight. The previous Hokage's faces had the final rays of sunlight shining down unto them as they stopped at the gates of Konoha. The four of them breathed heavily as they looked at each other, and then to Sakura.

She swallowed her heart back down into her chest and cleared her throat. "I guess someone should take me to the Third Hokage so I don't get jumped, huh?" Sakura laughed nervously before getting sad looks from her team.

"Sakura, the Third was killed by Orochimaru after you left..." Naruto confessed before looking down with eyes that shimmered with sadness. "He not only killed the Third, but attacked the Leaf. It was pretty brutal."

Sakura's heart fluttered before finally relaxing. She felt sorrow course through her veins as she looked down to the ground, too, except guilt filled not only her eyes, but her heart.

 _So that's where Orochimaru went, that bastard._

Thoughts of the past rushed through the pinkette's mind of when she first arrived at the hide out. She had been ordered to study and train with Kabuto, while Orochimaru left on an "important mission." Sakura clenched her fists at her sides before the sound of Kakashi's voice broke her from her thoughts.

"Well, instead of dwelling on the past, let's move forward. Sasuke will assist you to the Hokage tower and Naruto and I will start on paperwork. Best of luck!" Kakashi waved before hooking a protesting Naruto and dragging him off and through the gates. Sasuke and Sakura stood at the entrance to the village, watching after their sensei and complaining comrade who was still yelling.

"Kakashi!- I wanted to go with them! Not! You!"

Sasuke smirked, "Dobe." Sakura turned her attention to him before adjusting her shirt, an uncomfortable feeling nesting in the pit of her belly as she looked down the street of Konoha. "Let's go." She followed after the Uchiha, her emerald orbs remaining on the ground as she shadowed Sasuke's every step. The feeling of eyes watching her began to overcome the pink haired kunoichi, and the curse inside her hummed quietly. Sakura grabbed at her backpack straps, trying to distract her mind from the silent whispers that sounded around them. Her concentration came to an abrupt stop when she felt Sasuke's eyes on her.

"Don't let them get to you." Sakura looked at him with a confused expression before realization zapped the back of her mind.

 _The Uchiha Massacre._

Sadness settled into the uncomfortable nest in her stomach, and she felt her stomach churn at the some what comforting words that Sasuke had spoke to her. She had forgotten that he dealt with this almost his whole life. Sakura inhaled proudly, and lifted her head up for the villagers to see her. Konoha's pink haired traitor walked proudly through the streets, making eye contact with people giving her rude glares before turning to their spouses or friends and whispering. A wave of happiness washed over her as they approached the Hokage tower.

As the two reached the gates that lead upstairs, Sasuke let Sakura push past him and lead the way up the stairs. Her fingers pulled at her spandex shorts nervously as they reached the top. Before they rounded the corner and started their trek down the hallway, Sakura felt the heat of Sasuke's body right up against her back side, and his hands pulled her into the corner of the stairs. Sakura gasped as her back bumped up against the wall, and the Uchiha's hands were placed on both sides of her head. His eyes pierced into hers, and she squirmed under the interrogative stare that he was giving her. The feeling of being pinned against the wall was rather unsettling, but also exciting.

"Sakura."

The pink haired woman swallowed hard.

"What're you hiding?"

Sakura smiled nervously, looking to the left slightly before exhaling the breath she had been holding.

"Nothing-" She couldn't finish her sentence as she saw Sasuke inch his face closer to hers; the tips of their noses now touching. She felt sweat beads began to form at her hairline, and her heart rate picking up significantly.

"I-I was sent," she gulped, hard. "Orochimaru sent me to come retrieve you." The words waltzed off the end of her tongue, and her emerald eyes dropped from the severe stare of onyx eyes. Sasuke's body relaxed as he pulled away from her, the scent of charcoal and cinnamon encased Sakura.

 _Oh, Kami. Sasuke..._

A smirk pulled at Sasuke's lips and he shoved his hands in his pockets before rounding the corner and making his way to the door. Sakura followed closely behind him, looking around nervously.

"You're safe here, _Sa-ku-ra_." The way her name rolled off his lips made the kunoichi stiffen up, and her heart felt as though it stopped. The blood in her veins turned to ice, and goosebumps coated her body. The curse mark on the back of her neck clawed at her cream colored skin, and her face began to heat up. Sasuke's fist against the heavy wooden doors brought Sakura bought to reality, and away from her day dream. The way he said her name drove her body insane.

 _Damn you, hormones._

Sakura cursed to herself, as Inner Sakura sat in the corner of her mind, ogling over the Uchiha that stood calmly in front of her.

"Come in!" A female voice sounded from behind the set of doors. Sakura's ears tuned into the voice and noted that the Hokage was definitely a female. She felt the cool flow of power surge through her veins at this thought.

"Did you bring paperwork, Uchiha?" Sasuke walked through the door frame, presenting himself in front of the Hokage's desk. "I expect a full report if the three of you managed to fail this mission. Where are Naruto-" Sakura stepped through the door frame after Sasuke, and noted that not only was the Hokage a female, but she was damn gorgeous.

Her hair fell in long strands of pale, blond hair. Soft almond shaped eyes, colored honey with deep yellow and golden flecks. Her lips were a soft pink color, and her cheeks were finely chiseled. Her skin was ever so smooth and flawless, as well. The forest green jacket that she wore complimented not only her skin tone, but her eyes as well. Resting at the center of her forehead, sat a small, purple diamond. Sakura also couldn't help but notice the size of her breasts. She instantly felt her cheeks flare up with heat before making eye contact with the woman. To her surprise, she was met with a smile.

"So this is Sakura?"

"Hn."

* * *

 **A/N** : Welp! Here it is. :3 I really hope everyone is liking this story so far, and if not well then I hope you eventually start to like it. xD

So I noticed that some of the reviews/messages stated that they hope Sakura doesn't come off as weak in this fic, and that's the last thing she will look like in this fic. I definitely have plans and ideas for this story and I'm currently working on more chapters. This chapter was a little short and I apologize! The next one will be longer, I promise. ;D

Anyways, tell me what you think! I'm open to ideas and would love to throw some more stuff into this story. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask and I'll happily reply! Sasuke will be a **little** different in this story, but not too much. He just won't have the background history of training under Orochimaru, so I hope that doesn't affect anyone.

Reviews are love! Thank you for reading :)

-Ro.


	4. Foundations

**Uproot  
** Foundations

* * *

"This is Tsunade, Sakura. The Fifth Hokage."

Sakura's face was now taken over by the heat that filled her cheeks, and she found her feet walking her body towards the Hokage. The smug look on the blonde's face remained the same as Sakura stopped in front of her desk. Sasuke was now off to the side of the room, casually leaning against the wall, his hands shoved back into his pockets as he watched the females.

A low hum sounded from Tsunade as she stood up from her seat and walked around the corner of her desk, honey eyes scanning the pink haired kunoichi.

Sasuke watched with interest in his eyes as the blonde looked Sakura up and down before turning her head to him and nodding.

"If you'll leave the two of us, Uchiha." She offered a soft smile as Sasuke nodded and pushed off the wall and headed towards the door, his bag in tow. As he turned to close the doors behind him, he caught the appreciative look in Sakura's emerald eyes and his Sharingan flashed as the doors closed, engraving the shimmering of green eyes into his mind.

Sakura looked back to the Fifth as the doors clicked into place and the blonde haired woman was now sitting against her desk, one hand tucking loose tendrils of blonde hair behind her ear, while the other balanced her against the desk. The soft smile that she offered Sasuke still lingered on her face as she watched the younger pair talk with their eyes.

 _So this girl holds a special place in your heart, huh, Uchiha?_

"Sakura Haruno, eh?"

Green orbs met honey. A certain softness settled behind Tsunade's eyes and Sakura felt the tension in her shoulders release, and her body exhaled the breath she had been holding. Sakura nodded her head respectfully, keeping eye contact with Tsunade.

"Yes, Lady Hokage."

"Oh, please. Call me Lady Tsunade. I'm glad the boys were able to complete this mission. Naruto has been bugging me to go after you for quite some time now. You are aware that they've been very concerned about you, right?" The Hokage looked like a young woman, but the way she spoke was very soft and considerate, very kind. One thing Sakura noted was the hard look that her honey colored eyes held. This woman was no push over.

"Yes. I'm aware of that. And I'm ready for any consequences Konoha wishes to cast upon me. I'm a traitor to the village, and a rogue nin. I'm not expecting any sort of special treatment." Sakura's facial expression dropped as she thought of everything that could happen. She would either be killed, or put under heavy watch and probation for however long the Council see fit. Her attention was brought back to reality with the hearty chuckle from the other woman.

"I'm not making any promises as to what will happen, but I'll see to it that it won't be _too_ bad." Tsunade winked before walking back to her seat behind the wooden desk. She began to fumble through a stack of paper before coming to a small folder. The tan folder was set on the desk, and the prompt from the mission to find Konoha's missing nin was then stamped by Tsunade. Sakura smiled at the nice and neat nail polish on Tsunade's finger nails; they shimmered with a feint glow in the lighting of the room. The silence in the room began to snake its way towards Sakura's neck until she cleared her throat and caught Tsunade's attention.

"Hey, um.. Lady Tsunade?"

"Hm?"

"How are my parents?"

"Ah." Sakura's eyes widened at the single word that escape Tsunade's lips. The disapproving look sparkled in the honey eyes of the Hokage as she brought her elbows up on the desk and came to rest her chin against the back of her hands. "They've been worried about you, Sakura. With each passing day, they ask about you. Whether or not you had found your back, or if someone had found you. They miss you."

Tears began to prick at the back of her emerald eyes, and a small whimper escaped from the pink haired kunoichi's throat as passing images of her mother and father appeared in her mind. Sakura squeezed her hands tight at her sides and closed her eyes as she inhaled at the thought.

"I can allow you to see them." Sakura's eyes snapped open and a gasp escaped her mouth at Tsunade's words. " **But** , you'll be assisted throughout the visit, chakra blocks will be placed on your wrists, and you'll return back here shortly after your visit and I shall inform you on where you'll be staying in the meantime. Got it?" Tsunade's eyes lost the soft and caring touch, and hardened over with a cold tint. Her voice was stern and drove into the very pit of Sakura's ears, and the pinkette knew that this woman meant business.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

"Very good. Uchiha, get in here." Tsunade called from over her hands, and the door was opening quicker than expected. A smirk graced the blonde haired woman's face as she saw the happiness and relief flush through Sakura's face. Sasuke approached the desk and stood next to Sakura, awaiting orders from Tsunade.

"You're dismissed for the night. I'll expect paperwork and a complete report from the team." Tsunade waved him off, but Sasuke remained in the office, giving her a blank stare.

Sasuke simply flicked his eyes towards Sakura before raising an eyebrow and looking back to Tsunade.

"She'll be escorted to her parent's by one of the ANBU, then escorted back here for further instructions on where she'll be staying.. If you _must_ know." Tsunade rolled her eyes with a smirk as Sasuke stared at her with a blank expression.

"I'll take her." Both of the kunoichi's mouths dropped open at his offer and they stared at him in disbelief.

"What?" They both asked in sync, as Sasuke simply nodded his head.

"Sasuke, you-" Sakura began, but was cut off as his onyx eyes peered over at her from the corner of his eyes; he clearly wanted her to quit talking so he could handle it. The pinkette balled her firsts before she puffed her lower lip out.

"Fine. Be back within the next hour." Tsunade stated before calling Shizune to her office. The slender, black haired woman rushed into the office with a pair of wrist bands; chakra blocks. The metallic bands clamped down over Sakura's small wrists, and made a low humming noise. It was a somewhat soothing tune that buzzed through the silence in the office.

With a nod of her head, Tsunade saw the shinobi out of the tower, and towards Sakura's parents' house. Before closing the door to her office, Sasuke made eye contact with Tsunade and read perfectly that this was going to be an emotional time for both Sakura, and her parents. He nodded in confirmation before clicking the door in place and leading the way through the hallway, down the stairs, and through the village. Sakura followed him closely, admiring all the lights and newly built buildings that decorated the streets. A sigh escaped her body as they neared the small apartment building that she had grown up in.

Her pace began to slow down until she came to a halt in the middle of the street. Sasuke turned around to look at her with a questioning look before he rolled his eyes.

"Come on. You wanted to see them, didn't you?" His voice sounded rather annoyed at this point in time, and that urged Sakura to continue taking steps towards the building. The low hum of the bracelets on her wrists distracted her mind as she climbed the steps to her house. The smell of dinner flowed from behind the door, and small chatter could be heard as well.

Sakura's breath hitched as she raised her hand to the door. Balling her hand to a fist, she knocked once, ever so quietly. Inhaling deeply, she pounded on the wooden door, and foot steps could be heard from inside the building. As Sakura listened to the steps stop on the other side of the door, time slowly stood still as the doorknob turned, and the door was pulled open.

"Now who would be knocking on our door this late at night?" A soft mumble could be heard through the blood rushing in Sakura's ears, her emerald eyes widened at the sight of her mother.

" _Sakura._ "

 **. . .**

A pair of emerald eyes stared into her own. The older woman's hair was colored like polished honey, and neatly combed back, the ends curling up in a rebelling matter. The woman's face lost all color that coincided there moments prior, and she immediately took Sakura into her strong arms. The two Haruno woman hugged onto each other for what seemed like hours, until Sakura finally released her mother.

"Mom... I'm so sorry." Tears began to trail down Sakura's cream colored cheeks as she sobbed. Her mother took her daughter's hands into her own, and squeezed tightly.

"Honey, you're home now. It'll be okay." Her mother cooed, as she took Sakura into another hug, caressing the back of her daughter's head in one hand, and rubbing her back with the other. She opened her eyes and made eye contact with the Uchiha and smiled at him.

"It's nice to see you, Sasuke."

"Evening, Mebuki." Sasuke nodded to the older Haruno woman, giving her a small smile. After being acknowledged, Sasuke and Sakura were pulled into the Haruno household by Sakura's mother. The feint smell of dinner burrowed itself inside of Sakura's nose, and her stomach began to gurgle.

 _Mom's cooking.. How I've missed it._

Inner Sakura whined, curling up in a ball and hugging her knees to her chest. Outer Sakura hushed her Inner, and removed her boots at the doors before following her mother to the family room. Her nerves danced anxiously throughout her body as they neared in on her dad's chakra signature.

Upon entering her childhood home, she noted that nothing had really changed. Other than the place being a bit tidier - probably because Sakura wasn't there to throw her stuff to the side, and go about with other things - but there had been more pictures of the pinkette placed throughout the small building. As always, Mebuki had kept the place in tip top shape.

"Kizashi!" Mebuki called from the front room, as Sakura and Sasuke took her mother's orders to have a seat on the couch. Sakura could hear the small giggles coming from her father down the hall, and her heart began to stir wildly in her chest. As he entered the room, his cherry blossom like hair and green eyes comforted the uncomfortable throbbing in Sakura's chest. How she missed her father...

"Oh, my... Sakura!" Sakura was already up and off the couch and in her father's arms, hugging around his neck tightly. Unlike with her mother, Sakura was sobbing uncontrollably into her dad's shoulder, and shaking all the same.

"Shhh, it's okay, honey." Kizashi had his eyes closed as he calmed his daughter, soaking up her presence and enjoying every waking minute. His strong arms encased his daughter's shaking body, and he finally opened his eyes to nod at the Uchiha sitting calmly on the couch.

"Dad, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I just-" Sakura couldn't make out the words anymore through her sobs. Instead, she held on tightly as though her new reality was going to slip through her fingers at any time.

Once the pinkette had finally calmed down, the four shinobi sat around the small table in the front room, and made small chat while drinking freshly made tea. Sakura had gone into detail about where she had gone, what she was doing while she was there, and how much she had seen through her three years of being gone. Mebuki and Kizashi simply sat back and listened to their daughter's story and reasoning behind it all. While she hadn't been completely honest due to a certain man sitting among the Haruno clan, she made the story sound believable enough to calm the aching hearts of her parents.

As Sakura finished off her cup of tea, she felt Sasuke softly nudge her knee with his own, and she raised an eye brow at him. The look in his eyes told her that her reunion with her parents was coming to an end, and they needed to head back to the Hokage Tower. The pinkette nodded in agreement as she set her cup down onto the small wooden table.

"Mom, dad. It's time I head back to Lady Tsunade's office. I have a lot of stuff to... do." Sakura fished around in her mind for the right word, and figured that would do. Sasuke simply smirked at Sakura's reason for leaving.

"Okay, dear. Please keep in touch with us, though." Mebuki sounded worried as she walked along side Kizashi. They lead the younger pair of shinobi to the front door, and said their good byes. Sakura's parents held her in a long group hug, and whispered another set of good byes into her ears.

Upon releasing their daughter, and watching her walk alongside the masculine Uchiha, Mebuki called out to her daughter.

"Sakura, you need a damn hair cut! Your hair is extremely long, my dear!" Kizashi laughed beside Mebuki and waved to his daughter before heading back inside. Mebuki blew a kiss and a wink at Sakura as she followed her husband in through the door as well. Sakura simply scowled at the spot that she last saw her mother at and mumbled.

"I like my hair long, thank you very much..." She commented, before stomping away. Sasuke simply rolled his eyes and followed Sakura this time. He watched as the shorter shinobi pulled her hair up into a high ponytail that sat on top of her head, and wrapped the purple ribbon around it. Securing the messy ponytail in place, and her long strands of pink hair still managed to brush the middle of Sakura's back. Sasuke scanned her hair, admiring how long it was, until his eyes rested on a very distinct spot at the base of her neck.

"Sakura."

Sakura turned her head and raised a thin pink eyebrow to him at the mention of her name. "Hm?"

Sasuke reached out to her and grasped her elbow and stopped her in her tracks. He pulled her backwards towards him, and caught her shoulder with his other hand before examining the ink spots on her neck. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?!"

Sakura began to question, until she knew exactly what he was looking at. She brought her opposite hand up to cover the mark on her neck, but Sasuke caught her hand in mid air. The pinkette turned her face to glare at him, but to her surprise, he could care less. Sasuke still didn't speak a word as he examined the mark on her neck. He brought his index finger to trace the smooth black marks on her neck. The feeling of Sasuke's finger tracing her skin caused Sakura to break out into goosebumps.

"What does it feel like?"

Sakura was dumbstruck at his question. Before she could turn around and give him the look of _'what the fuck?'_ She dropped her hand to the side and pondered the question for awhile.

"I can feel it deep inside my body before it emerges. It's almost like a low growl.. Like a hum. It feels almost like the chakra blocks sound. Low and steady." She commented, bring her wrists up to the sides of her face, listening to the humming of the bracelets.

"The curse feeds off of my anger, so technically, the angrier I am, the stronger it gets. Once it slips through the seal, it feels almost like a really bad sunburn, and then cat scratches coating that sunburn until I'm bleeding uncontrollably. Although, I'm not bleeding, it just hurts really bad." Sakura began walking again, and Sasuke followed her. She continued her explanation.

"While that's only level one. I'll have my entire body decorated in black lines, and on those black lines, it looks as though thorns are poking out from the thick line. Once I hit level two, everything turns to a blur. I can only remember the painful feeling my body endures as I sink into a black pit and let the curse mark think for me. I can't tell you exactly what I've done while in level two, but I know that I'm not exactly proud of what I've done during my time away from Konoha." Sakura admitted sheepishly, as she kicked small stones in front of her. Once she finished explaining what the curse mark does to her, she turned around to look at Sasuke.

The Uchiha didn't look at her, but kept his eyes forward as he walked in silence. He kept walking until he was leading the way now. Sakura's head dropped as she began walking again. Instead of kicking the stones, she peered up at the night sky and watched the stars twinkle and wink at her. A single shooting star caught her eyes, and she closed them tight and made a wish.

 _Please. Let everything be okay, Kami._

As soon as she opened her eyes, it was far too late and she had walked square into Sasuke's body. He was now turned around and staring at her with questioning onyx orbs. The Hokage Tower was only a few yards away, and Sakura was confused as to why Sasuke had stopped before they reached it.

"I won't let anything bad happen to you, Sakura."

"Nothing bad-"

"I mean it." Sasuke stated before turning on his heel and began walking towards the tower. He entered through the gates, and beckoned the stunned and shocked kunoichi to follow him. Snapping out of her state of shock, she chased after him and hopped up the few stairs that he had already climbed.

 _What the hell was that about?_

Inner Sakura brought her fists up and began to act tough until they rounded the corner at the top of the stairs. Tsunade could be heard from her office.

"Yes. She will be on watch until the meeting comes up. The meeting is at the end of the week, and at that time, we will see what the Council and the head of each clan decides to do." A firm grunt could be heard in response to Tsunade's words, and then the sound of a small 'puff.' Sasuke and Sakura reached the door and stood on the outside, Sasuke casually knocking on the wood with a single knuckle. Tsunade rolled her eyes before beckoning them into her office.

Sakura's cheeks had still contained a bit of the red puffiness in them from her hot tears that streamed down her cheeks not even an hour ago. As she presented herself in front of Tsunade, she offered a small smile, the Hokage returned her smile before looking to Sasuke.

"You're free to go, Sasuke." Said the blonde Hokage who simply shooed him with the flick of her wrist. Sasuke repeated his earlier action and raised an eyebrow. Tsunade simply pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers before sighing, loudly. "That's an order, Uchiha."

A small grunt escaped Sasuke's throat as he turned on his heel. Sakura's pleading green eyes made contact with his deep black eyes.

If anything, that girl knew how to make his heart stir.

He made his way out of the office, and began his walk down the hallway; away from the girl that he had been so curious and interested in lately.

Sakura turned and made eye contact with the Hokage before biting down on her lip. She knew that it was time to go over the details of how her stay back in Konoha would go, and she was prepared to face any consequences. The small flutters in her heart now made their way to her stomach.

 _You brought this on yourself,_ she thought to herself - Inner Sakura tapped her foot and rolled her eyes as she awaited what was to come their way.

"Now, then." Tsunade broke Sakura's train of thought. "You'll be staying at your own place, away from your family. You'll be wearing those chakra blocks, as well. No shocker there. You'll also be under watch until Friday morning. That's when the meeting will take place. You'll be presented in front of myself, the Council, and the head of each clan. You will first be expected to explain yourself, then we will move on from there." The hard look in Tsunade's eyes made Sakura stir a bit.

 _You're fuckin' in for it._

Sakura frowned to herself on the inside. She soon felt the taste of blood begin to pool in her mouth from biting on her lip so hard. She nodded to Tsunade, "Yes, Lady Tsunade."

"Now, I like you. I can tell by your chakra signature that you're an exceptional fighter, and I can see that fiery passion in your eyes." Sakura's emerald eyes perked up and began to sparkle. "I'm going to try my hardest to get you off the hook, but you'll definitely be on probation for quite some time, and doing some dirty, Genin work." Tsunade's lips lifted into a smile, showing off her white, straight teeth.

Sakura's hands lifted to her mouth, and she was now beaming. The aura around her was enlightened and radiating happiness. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade!" She squealed, then threw her hands back over her mouth, trying to keep her voice down. Tsunade simply shook her head, her face still plastered with a smile as well. She crossed her arms over her chest before standing up from her seat.

"Follow me and we'll get you situated for the night."

Sakura and Tsunade made their way out of the Hokage Tower and down the street to the small and homey apartment building that Sakura would be living in. Along the way, they made small talk and felt no tension in the air around them. Sakura enjoyed being around the older, blonde woman. She put her heart at ease, and took any and all nervous intentions away from her body.

For once, Sakura felt like things were going to be okay.

 **. . .**

Sakura's time back in Konoha was somewhat enjoyable - yeah, she couldn't do much of anything - but she enjoyed seeing familiar faces, feeling the warmth of sunshine on her face, and spending time with Team 7 again. She began to learn how to live again, and not feel as though she would have to lung out from behind her wall in order to fend off a potential attacker. The thought of Orochimaru and Kabuto sat at the back of her mind, while in the meantime, she drank in all the happiness that surrounded her.

The meeting was to take place tomorrow, and she didn't feel one pinch of anxiety flowing through her body. The pinkette felt as though she was safe here; safe in her home, Konoha. While she sat on the small sofa that inhabited her apartment building, she felt the overpowering surge of chakra pulse on the outside of her range. An instant smile pulled at the corners of her soft, pink lips.

 _Sasuke._

Before he had a chance to knock on the door, she could already hear the ANBU shinobi on the other side questioning the Uchiha.

"Tsunade sent me." Sakura could instantly pick up the difference in his tone; he was simply lying. To her surprise, they allowed the black haired shinobi to pass by them, and knock on the wooden door. Sakura had opened it after the first knock, and Sasuke had a soft smirk on his gorgeous face. "Come on."

Raising a thin pink eye brow to his request, she slid her boots and followed him out of the apartment. The ANBU stayed put, not moving a muscle as she slid on by them.

"Where we going?" Sakura was already questioning him. In return, she got the silent treatment and huffed as she trudged on behind him.

Their walk continued through the village, and by all the many shops and stands that lined the sides of the road. All the different smells and spices eventually found their way into Sakura's nostrils, and she inhaled the many different scents deeply, sighing as she exhaled. As they kept on walking, Sasuke still hadn't said a single word to her. His hands remained in his pockets, and he continued to walk until they reached the gates to the village. Sakura stopped dead in her tracks before opening her mouth and having a single, most unattractive noise fall out. Sasuke finally turned around to look at her, standing oh, so very casually.

"Um...where are we going?" Sakura pressed on with the same question, emerald eyes wide with confusion and frustration. She knew she wasn't to be leaving the village since she was _technically_ on probation. "I need to behave and abide by the rules, Sasuke." She murmured.

"Tch," He turned away from her and began to walk again, waving to the shinobi on gate duty, "It's a shame you don't want to see something _unique._ "

Sakura stomped her foot in the dirt and gravel and clenched her fists at her sides before stomping after him. The annoying thought of what Tsunade would say once the men who were on duty told her of Sakura's actions, chewed away at her. Pressing onward towards Sasuke, she was finally in step with him as they traveled by the training grounds, and continued on the path that led them to the forest. All the greenery looked so lively during the summer time in the Fire Country. As they made their way through the many different trees, Sakura enjoyed the cool touch of the shade that cast over her body. She watched as many different species and colors of birds sang their songs, and flew through the sky; free as can be, and she envied each and every one of them. As she thought about the many different birds, she felt herself stop abruptly, and the warmth of Sasuke's body overtook her, and her cheeks flushed a magnificent red. Green eyes peered up from behind strands of pink hair, and the emotionless face of Sasuke stared back at her.

"Sorry. I was just-" said Sakura, but before she could finish her sentence, let alone her thought, Sasuke's hand was on her wrist and pulling her in front of him. What lie before her, brought an instant smile to her face. A clearing in the forest, homed with many different colors and smells of all the wild flowers that grew on the outskirts of Konoha. Memories and flashbacks flew through Sakura's mind as she remembered all the different times she spent in this field, learning to be a kunoichi. She thought of Ino in particular, her previous best friend. A beautiful blonde, with stunning baby blue eyes.

The feeling of Sasuke's hand on the small of her back pulled her from her thoughts, and she began to move forward and towards the many different colored petals. Different aromas flowed through her nostrils, and she felt her heart flutter. "Why did you bring me here?"

"I thought you might like it." Sasuke's tone was warm and mellow. Sakura's cheeks instantly fired up in a blush again, and she found herself turning away before he could see that she was blushing.

The pair walked through the large field of flowers in silence and Sakura enjoyed ever minute of it. Her time with Sasuke was almost always quiet - unless she started to blab about something - but being in his presence, was what she enjoyed the most. She drank up every minute being with him, his cool demeanor, his effortless beauty and grace. Everything about him made her heart scream, and her head pound. They had spent countless hours walking, sitting, watching, and even making small talk. It hadn't been until Sasuke's tone changed, that she looked to him and noticed the low orange light reflecting from the sun.

"We better head back." And Sakura simply nodded before tracing back through the different hues of pinks and purples, accompanied by yellows and greens.

Upon reaching the village again, the day was nearly over and Sakura couldn't quite remember how it had passed by so quickly.

 _Of course times flies when I'm with **him.**_

"Don't do that."

Sakura looked to him, confusion cast upon her face. "Do what?"

"Scowl." Black orbs stared down at her, and his black fringe fell over his eyes, blocking the view of the different shades of silver that reflected from his eyes. Sakura snorted at him before continuing on her way towards her apartment.

"Whatever you say, Sasuke."

As they arrived back to Sakura's place, the ANBU shinobi were still standing on the outside, watching her as they made their way to the door. Sakura turned to Sasuke, and found herself yawning in a tiresome manner. Sasuke, whom was still casting the emotionless look at her, finally eased his facial expressions into a soft smile.

"Get some rest." Sakura couldn't help but notice the way his hand brushed up against hers as he turned his back and began walking away, his long strides carrying him gracefully. The Uchiha symbol in the middle of his upper back shifted with the motions of his muscular shoulders. Sakura closed the door behind her and found herself simply dragging her body into her bedroom, and sprawling across her makeshift bed.

A deep exhale escaped her lungs as she thought about tomorrow. Her eyelids pulled over her emerald eyes and she felt her body give away to a deep slumber. Sakura's life would forever change for better or for worse the following day, and she could only think of one thing right now.

 _Sasuke Uchiha._

* * *

 **A/N** : Hi, it's me! I wanted to thank you all for being very supportive and for all the kind reviews. You guys rock! So for all the encouraging messages, and kind reviews, I figured I could update this story :)

Lemme know what you think so far! Sakura's meeting is coming up, and her fate will be decided! Stay tuned ~

-Ro.


	5. A Newly Formed Bond

**Uproot  
** A Newly Formed Bond

* * *

The dimly lit room was packed, and Sakura felt her throat constrict. Her emerald eyes constantly scanned the room for both Tsunade, and Sasuke - Sasuke being there was a long shot, but the need to see him among everyone else made her stomach stir. She watched as everyone took their assigned seats, and chatted among themselves quietly; some would occasionally look over at her, others would just plain stare at her. Sakura inhaled deeply, and closed her eyes.

 _You'll be okay, calm down!_

"Quit doing that."

A hushed whisper brushed past her ear, and her body went into full alert. Turning her head to the side, she instantly felt her body rid of all the tension, and she exhaled. Seeing Sasuke beside her, and calmly brush past her and take his seat among the rest of the head clan members, she felt a soft smile pull at her lips. A few more minutes passed by, and she figured everyone was now in their respectful seats, and Tsunade sat beside three older looking people. The blonde shot her a look of confidence before turning her attention towards the older man who was now speaking.

* * *

"Sakura Haruno is to be executed, and there will be absolutely **no** further discussion." The gray bearded elder spoke with a stone cold tone. His hard eyes baring into Sakura. The two elders sitting by his side had smug expressions on their faces, and Tsunade was utterly annoyed. She pinched the bridge of her nose, and closed her eyes to concentrate. The head clan members all looked to be taken aback and confused at the sudden decision that was decided _already._

Sakura's heart was nothing more than a solid lump in her throat, and her eyes glazed over. Her mouth opened slightly and she wanted nothing more than to plead her case.

 _This isn't fair! This isn't... fair._ She thought, but Inner Sakura thought otherwise, _This is fair actually, because you are a traitor._

Sakura pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind as she began to dwell on the information of her newly decided fate.

"Your choices are of haste, and obscure, Homura." Tsunade finally spoke up, rising to her feet and slamming her hands down on the wooden table. Creaks could be heard as she turned her body to face the other members of the council. Shock passed through their old and worn eyes at the Hokage's sudden outbreak. "Just because she left, and has returned, doesn't mean you can come to the conclusion of offing her without so much as a word from anyone else." Anger boiled up throughout the blonde's body as she made her way towards Sakura. The pinkette's mouth was now gaping wide.

"Tsunade..." Sakura whimpered as the Hokage stomped up to her and came to a halt right in front of her.

"From my further discussions with this girl, she actually has viable information regarding Orochimaru, and can be of great use to us." Tsunade's strong tone encouraged Sakura and turned her gaping mouth, to a courageous smile. Her stomach was no longer in her throat, and she wasn't going down without a fight.

The pink haired girl simply nodded to confirm that what Tsunade had said was indeed, true.

Homura stroked the gray hairs of his beard and narrowed his eyes at the two woman.

"Speak, traitor." The feminine voice caught the attention of the room. The elder woman was now standing, eyes narrowed as well.

Sakura cleared her throat as she stood, Tsunade winked at her and made her way back to her seat alongside the Council. Hands folded together and resting beneath her chin.

"When I first left, I was seeking power. To become strong. But the longer that I was away from Konoha, the more I thought about switching up my tactics, in favor of the Leaf. I decided to start watching and keeping notes on the experiments that Orochimaru and Kabuto underwent, and learned of their true intentions." She turned towards Sasuke. He was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, a small smirk cast upon his lips. "As you know, his three years on his current vessel are coming to an end, and he is searching for a new vessel. Well, he has his eyes on someone. Someone here in Konoha." Sakura squirmed uncomfortably as Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at her with a confused look. Hushed whispers along the clansmen traveled through the dim lit room.

"Continue, girl." The final member of the Council finally spoke up, his one eye glimmering with interest. The room hushed at his command and listened intently to Sakura.

One huge gulp and she exhaled, "He wants Sasuke. For the Sharingan."

The room was now filled with a wave of a chorused gasp, and silent whispers following shortly after. Eyes began to fall upon Sasuke, who sat there emotionless as ever.

"Quite, all of you," Homura finally spoke up, "Very well. Lock her up, we will be coming to her for more information. Right now, we will deal with the intel that we have."

Tsunade was already on her feet and glaring at Homura. "No, we will _not_ lock her up. I will take full responsibility of her." The room was filled with another chorus of gasps and whispers, and everyone began to speak up at this time.

"What do you mean, Lady Tsunade?"

"You can't possibly watch a traitor, alongside running the village!"

"Have you any sense, Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade soon had a smirk on her face, and her she closed her eyes. The doubts that her own comrades were casting upon her were indeed, quite amusing.

"Are you all mistaking our Hokage for a weak woman?" All eyes shot towards the corner of the room. Seated with a calm composure, and a spiky haired ponytail sat Shikamaru Nara. His calm and collected voice silenced all the outraged comments and concerns in the meeting room, and gathered everyone's attention.

"You really think a traitor will be able to take on Lady Tsunade?" The younger Nara saw a smirk form on his father's face, and the soft agreements sounded throughout the meeting room.

"Shikamaru is right. You're not giving our Hokage enough credit." Shikaku finally spoke up, matching his son's calm voice. Tsunade simply smirked at the compliments she was now receiving, and was happy to hear the agreement settle in the room.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru sat back, and went back to remaining silent through the rest of the meeting and watching from the shadows. Sakura shot him a glare, and he merely returned a soft smile.

 _What an asshole. I'm not weak, and I definitely can't take on Lady Tsunade... but to embarrass me like that?!_ Sakura's cheeks heated up, but her focus was recollected when a soft hum sounded through the room.

"Fine. See to it that you keep an eye on her, _Lady Tsunade._ Other than that, Sakura will be put on probation from attending any missions, and exercising mass amounts of chakra." Homura shot Tsunade a wicked glance.

Tsunade simply nodded and looked to Sakura, a stern look flashed through her honey colored eyes. Sakura gulped before looking down to her feet.

"Do you have anything else to add while we're still here?" Words from the elder with one eye exposed spoke up again. His face was expressionless like Sasuke, and mysterious as well. The vibe that Sakura picked up from him was rather chilling.

"No, Sir. If I have any further reports, I shall report to Lady Tsunade." Replied Sakura respectfully, her fists clenched at her sides.

"Then this meeting has come to an end. You're all excused." Homura announced, waving off the audience. The Council pushed out from their seated positions and stood to their feet and made their way for the doors. Horuma turned over his shoulder before calling out to Sakura and Tsunade. "Don't screw this up, Lady Tsunade."

The blonde Hokage's eyes filled with rage, and her blood was burning with fire. She walked to Sakura's side and simply put a hand on her shoulder, but didn't turn to face the pinkette. Sakura could feel the warmth seeping from Tsunade's skin. The firm grip that the older woman had on her shoulder was enough to clarify that this woman meant business. As the room emptied, Sakura turned to see if Sasuke was still in his seat; but to her disappointment, he was gone.

"If you're looking for Sasuke, he's already gone. He has other things to do." The hard tone in Tsunade's voice filled the now quiet room, and Sakura simply nodded her head. Ice flowed through her veins as she stood up. "Come on, we have things to do too." Tsunade now grinned an ear to ear smile at Sakura, and began on her way through the door.

 _What a turn for events._ Sakura thought to herself, grasping her stomach and feeling thankful for her new fate.

Konoha was ruthless.

 **. . .**

"What do you mean, you're going to _train_ me?!" Sakura belted out. They were now at her permanent apartment. It was much bigger than the previous place she had been staying while in Konoha. It was also _much_ bigger than her childhood home. It was a two bedroom apartment, equipped with a glorious kitchen, with lots of cupboards, drawers, and counter space; it also entailed a large island in the center. Off to the left of the kitchen, was a dining room, that had an attached balcony that overlooked Konoha, just like the Hokage Tower's view. Finally, the front room was very spacious, and had plenty of shelving space for books upon books, something Sakura squealed gleefully to herself on the inside about. Not only was the apartment much bigger than anything she had ever lived in, but it was also very up to date, and well built. The paint was fresh, new flooring had been laid not long ago, and the apartment smelled fresh and new.

"I'm taking you on as my apprentice. You've got potential, Sakura." Tsunade shot her smile over the brim of her cup. She took a swift chug of her Sake and exhaled delightfully. The older woman had taken Sakura back to her office, and went over _loads_ of paperwork, before bringing her to her new place to live. The Hokage had also spoiled her with fully furnishing the entire layout, _and_ providing groceries for the pink haired kunoichi.

Sakura just twirled her cup in a relaxed circle, watching the amber liquid rotate in a lulling whirlpool. They sat at her new dining table, celebrating her second chance at life in Konoha over some Sake. "Wow, thank you so much, Lady Tsunade. But don't you think the Council will be rather pissed off over that? I mean, you're only suppose to be watching me, not training me..." Sakura broke her line of site from her cup and looked up to Tsunade, who was now chuckling.

"Those old bats... I'm still watching you, aren't I? Besides, you've brought some valuable information in. And if you think I'm going to sit back and relax with that kind of intel, then you're wrong. We need all the shinobi that we can get to fend off Orochimaru if he comes for Sasuke." Tsunade laughed out as she poured herself another cup of Sake. Sakura simply smirked at her new mentor, and threw her drink back before pushing her cup forward. Tsunade happily filled her cup as well.

The two kunoichi laughed and drank their night away. Celebrating together, mentor and student, a bond that would strengthen and grow. And for that, Sakura soaked in all the happiness, and watched as her teacher laughed and talked away, telling her stories of her youth, and all the stuff that they would be covering soon.

"It's getting rather late, and I should be headed out. Training starts tomorrow!" The booming voice of Tsunade pulled Sakura from her happy thoughts, and startled her.

 _Tomorrow?!_

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Sakura thoroughly tried to sound ready and rather excited, but it came out as alarmed and somewhat uncertain.

"I'll see you then, Sakura." Tsunade gave her an over the shoulder hug, smothering the pinkette. The older woman smelled of honey and fresh cedar. "Oh, and as far as yours and Sasuke's relationship, it's safe with me!" Tsunade threw a thumbs up; Sakura began to fumble for words and flush.

"What?!" Sakura's cheeks were heating up as Tsunade laughter filled the front room. "We aren't dating!"

"Uh huh. They always deny it when it's true!" The Hokage began to walk out the door, still laughing a heart laugh. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were puffy from the effects of the alcohol.

"Just go to bed, Lady Tsunade!" The alcohol began to stir in Sakura's body as her temperature was rising at the accusation. She started to push the Hokage out of her apartment, and once she was through the door way, she shut the door and locked it. Her back was now to the door, and she found her body carelessly sliding down the wood until she was in a sitting position with her knees pulled up to her chest.

Sakura simply smiled to herself.

 _I like her already._

* * *

 **A/N** : Hey guys! I'm finally back. Recovery has been hell for me, and I'm finally getting around to finishing this chapter. I'm really sorry if it's somewhat short. I'll definitely make up for it in the upcoming chapters. :) Also, I'll be back to updating once a week, hurrah!

Anyways, what do you think so far?! A decision had been made, and Sakura and Tsunade have that bond, OF COURSE. There's no way I would let this story continue without them being student/mentor. I just love them so much for that not to happen ;w;

Also, thank you so much for the reviews that I've been getting, PMs, favorites, follows, and all that jazz. It really means a lot and it motivates me to write more, update more, and start more stories. So please, please, PLEASE don't forget to review!

You're all lovely people and I hope you all have a great week :)

-Ro.


	6. Discoveries

**Uproot  
** Discoveries

* * *

Beads of sweat ran down her smooth face, and her long, silky hair was soaked to the roots. Sakura let out a loud gasp as she felt the cool liquids run town her throat. She slammed her bottle back down to the tree stump, and walked her slender body back to her mentor, Tsunade. Sakura gave her a nod with a smirk plastered to her face; she wiped a straggler bead of sweat from her cheek.

"Continue." Tsunade demanded, eyes hardening as she crouched in a defensive stance.

Sakura pumped chakra to her fists and feet and pushed off from the ground, charging Tsunade. Tsunade's body moved gracefully, blocking and deflecting each punch and kick that her student threw her way. One block after enough, the blonde could see the tension grow in Sakura's shoulders, and her body had started to move with frustration and irritation. As Sakura flung her fist forward, hoping to land a hit on her mentor's forearm, her wrist was suddenly grabbed, and her feet were no longer planted to the ground. Instead, she felt her back crashing into the rocks and soil, and an instant pang of heat was felt in her tailbone. A loud wale escaped from her throat, and she felt her body begin to pulse magma hot blood. The pinkette gritted her teeth as Tsunade let out a scoff.

"You're losing your concentration, Sakura. Focus!" The order from her mentor only fueled her rising temper, and she felt the base of her neck begin to grow hot.

 _Fuck. Not now!_

Sakura rolled to her stomach and pushed her body up from the dirt. The pinching pain near her tailbone only grew hotter by the minute, until she reached back and placed a smooth but dirty hand over the base of her spine. The cool sensation of her medical Ninjustu began to flow from her hand, and skillfully weave through the tendons and cells in her body. Sakura felt the heat of her wound begin to fade. The burning sensation in her neck still itched and throbbed, and she quietly cursed to herself, for that could not be healed.

"Sakura! What're you doing? Quit mumbling to yourself, and come at me! Full force, let's go!" Tsunade didn't let the fact that Sakura knew medical Ninjutsu go unnoticed. She smiled internally to herself.

"Ah." Sakura nodded being stepping forward. As her foot hit the ground, the inky black lines from her curse began to invade her chest and arm. Tsunade's honey eyes narrowed at the scene unfolding before her, and she immediately kicked Sakura's front foot out from beneath her and grabbed the younger kunoichi by the shoulder, catching her from falling. Sakura felt the anger in her body flow deeper, almost touching her very core. She imagined her anger being a smoking, hot flame gracefully licking at the core of her body. The closer her anger got, the more her body gave in the lines that spread evenly throughout her body. Sakura clenched her teeth together, fighting against the amount of pain that pulsed from her neck, and the embarrassment of being attacked so easily. Especially by her teacher.

"Tsunade, you need to get away from me. I can't hold it back much longer and I don't want to hurt you." Sakura panted, turning her gaze to the ground, focusing her strength to restrict the curse.

Tsunade scoffed once more; Sakura's face dropped, and her eyebrows knitted themselves together.

 _The fucking nerve of this old woman!_

"I'm no pushover, Sakura." Tsunade remarked, releasing her student. Casually jumping backwards and sliding her jacket over her shoulders, Tsunade raised her fists, beckoning Sakura to her. The green jacket fell off her body and was thrown to the side of the battlefield. "Now then, shall we continue?" The taunting tone finally pushed Sakura passed her breaking point. Her anger boiled over like scalding water, enveloping her very core; Sakura submitted to the heat rushing through her body, and let the curse mark do the work.

Tsunade's smug expression turned into utter fascination as the curse mark glowed like burning embers, expanding over Sakura's creamy skin and converting it to a pale gray. Her green irises faded to a golden yellow, and the whites of her eyes were nothing more than a black sea, surrounding her now golden and glowing eyes; her light pink lips took on the same inky black as her eyes as well. Long, pink strands of hair fading to snow white locks, and horn like spikes pushing out from her the roots of her scalp. With her overall appearance rapidly changing, her clothing was now ripping due to the rapid transformation. Tsunade was no longer facing her happy-go-lucky pink and blooming student. Instead she was now faced with a withering monster.

"Well? What're you waiting for!" More taunting from the blonde haired Hokage. Sakura delivered exactly what her teacher had wanted, and with indescribable speed.

Instead of the unfocused amount of kicks and punches, Sakura was now bobbing and weaving, lunging forward with each punch and kick. Tsunade had found herself not only defending, but fighting back. Just as she grasped Sakura's incoming punch, a breath halting blow was delivered to the core of her abdomen. A loud grunt pushed through Tsunade's lips, and her body was thrown back with force, violently tugging and jerking across the ground like a rag doll. The blonde haired woman jumped up without another moment to spare and caught Sakura's incoming punch with cat like reflexes. To her surprise, a searing hot pain began to bubble in the palm of her hand. Tsunade's facial features pulled into a frown, and Sakura smirked a toothy grin at her mentor.

"What's the matter? Don't like _poison_?" Her genuinely sweet and innocent tone was replaced with a malicious and snide one instead. The knuckles of her strangely colored skin had spikes sticking out, impaling the palm of her teacher's hand. "Come on, Lady Tsunade! Give it your-!" A head throbbing kick to the side of the white haired kunoichi's head sent her body flying across the battle ground. Loud chokes and groans could be heard from her motionless body as Tsunade examined her palm. The irritated skin was oozing maroon and purple liquid, and the skin was quickly discoloring with hues of dark yellows and greens. Instantly pulsing a healing wave of chakra to her palm, the skin returned to her soft shade of white and the holes quickly seared themselves shut. She would deal with extracting the poison afterwards; dealing with Sakura was more important. Now that she knew that Sakura's new form was not only quick _and_ incredibly strong, she could also extract poison from the spikes that submerged from Sakura's knuckles.

Tsunade found herself cracking her own knuckles as she made her way towards Sakura's still motionless body. Picking up speed, she was now over her student's body, grabbing her by the back of her shirt and throwing her lifeless body in the air. Small gurgles escaped Sakura's throat as her body was now free falling; the pulsing signature of Tsunade was quickly approaching her body so she had to act _now._ But Tsunade had beat her to it. Instead of a free fall, Sakura's body was now hurdling towards the ground, a rock hard knee driving into her lower back. As the two kunoichi crashed back into the ground, the soil split, and the rocks submerged from their solid place in the earth, forming a crater with student and teacher in the center. Soft groans escaped Sakura's mouth as her cream colored skin and signature pink hair returned to their rightful places, and the discolored skin crawled back to the base of her neck, nesting inside the curse mark. Crippled, battered, and bruised, Sakura had finally passed out from the final blow of Tsunade's knee. Tsunade was victorious.

"Well this is something we'll be discussing." Tsunade scoffed as she set a comforting hand on the back of Sakura. Using her Mystical Palm Technique, she let her chakra flow through Sakura, searching for any broken bones or internal bleeding that she might've caused. To her surprise, no internal organs were punctured or bleeding, but she had several broken ribs, a broken arm, and a fractured tail bone. Nothing of utter seriousness took place, thankfully. Remembering the fact that Sakura had indeed healed her tailbone earlier in their sparring match, Tsunade nodded happily to herself.

"We'll look more into that as well." The blonde mumbled to herself, setting the bone in her student's arm, and continued healing her thoroughly. The ribs followed shortly after.

. . .

Making quick work of her healing process, Tsunade casually pulled Sakura up by her arm and hoisted her up on her shoulders. As she began to turn on her heel, the swift movement of a chakra signature grazed her senses.

"Uchiha." Called out Tsunade, and Sasuke was in front of her in a flash.

"Hn."

"Do me a favor and carry your girlfriend." Tsunade teased, pressing Sakura into a brooding Sasuke's arms.

Her unconscious body was incredibly light, but fit perfectly in the crook of his arms. She was bruised, and cuts spread throughout her arms and legs. Sasuke felt himself flush at the site of her torn clothing, and looked away almost immediately.

"She's not my girlfriend." A low growl sounded from the base of his throat. He stalked forward, Tsunade leading in hot pursuit.

"Uh huh. Whatever you say, Uchiha. I'm not dumb." Tsunade scooped her jacket up and threw it back on over her body. "We're going to the hospital, by the way."

Sasuke raised a dark eyebrow, but lowered it as he looked back down to his unconscious teammate. Training for them was obviously rough if Tsunade was covered in dirt and sweat, and Sakura was knocked out and broken looking. He had never noticed that even her eyelashes were pink, along with her eyebrows. He smirked at his newly learned information, and tucked it in the back of his mind.

"Annoying." He scoffed underneath his breath and continued his walk with the Hokage towards the hospital. They took to jumping across rooftops in favor of walking through the streets of Konoha; one, it was more efficient, two, they didn't want to draw unwanted attention to themselves. Tsunade pressed onward towards the back entrance of the hospital, and gained them entrance to the large building.

Small gasps, concerned looks, and many questions later, they were finally on the third floor of the building. This floor was quiet, and only head nurses, doctors, and very serious cases homed this level. Sasuke merely walked quietly behind Tsunade, and stood awkwardly behind her as she ordered nurses to and fro.

"Get Shizune here, immediately." A firm order escaped her soft, pink lips.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"

And with that, the trio made their way through a doorway and they were now standing in a dimly lit room that was rather large. Like every other room, there was a hospital bed, many cupboards, drawers, tools, a couple seats, and even an examining table. Sasuke soaked in the view and smirked.

 _Who knew rooms were this big on this floor._

"I'll take her from here." Tsunade lifted Sakura's body effortlessly from Sasuke, but only after he hesitated after a moment. A small snort sounded from Tsunade as she walked away from him and placed her student's body on the bed. She smoothed Sakura's long pink locks free of their tangles and dirt clumps, and turned back towards Sasuke. "Would you like to change her for me?" A mischievous smile graced the Hokage's lips.

The Uchiha's ears were burning hot, and the back of his neck was on fire with embarrassment. "You sick old woman," Sasuke hissed. "I'll be outside waiting. Come get me when you're done."

As he exited the room, Tsunade hearty laughed could be heard echoing throughout the room. Shortly after Sasuke's departure, Shizune was taking his place in the room.

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune huffed, breathing heavily from her run to the hospital. "What's happened? Is everything okay? Is this Sakura? Are you okay?"

"Yes. We had a... run in during our training session this morning. Apparently, she's got a curse mark located above her left shoulder blade. I've already taken care of healing her and putting her body back together. We will be looking further into her curse mark to determine what needs to be done." Tsunade explained as she replaced Sakura's clothing with a simple hospital gown. Shizune nodded in agreement and helped shuffle the pinkette's body to the examining table.

The kunoichi went to work on Tsunade's apprentice, and made quick work. Poking and prodding, talking casually, and taking notes, the woman were done within an hour. Thankfully, Sakura had remained unconscious the entire time which made their job that much easier. A loud sigh sounded from Tsunade as she shuffled her tools aside and stored her notes in a folder and handed it to Shizune.

"I think this is something we can work with, Shizune. It'll be nice to teach her to contain this and use it for the greater good." Shizune's dark eyes watched with interest, and a question could be seen lingering within the sparkle of her irises. "What're you thinking?"

"Are you capable of teaching her such a thing? You don't even know where she got that thing from." Tsunade's friend and partner spoke up confidently.

"Ah," Tsunade nodded. "I've an idea though."

A raised eyebrow was the response from the younger woman.

" _Orochimaru._ " Hissed Tsunade, pulling the gloves from her hands and disposing of them. Before Shizune could get another word in, the loud screaming of Konoha's loud mouthed shinobi could be heard through the hospital walls, and Tsunade's temper was flaring instantly.

"Teme, let me in! I want to see Sakura!"

"No."

"Oi, Sasuke! That _hurts!_ "

Shizune laughed to herself quietly as Tsunade stomped out of the room. Naruto had definitely poked the bear.

"Granny Tsunade! Ow! That hurts, too, stop!"

"Naruto, I'm not sure _how_ you were granted access to this floor, but when I find out _who_ did it they'll be getting an ear full. Leave!"

And with that, the third floor of Konoha's hospital was now peaceful and quiet again. Sakura slept her training session off in peace, but would be welcomed with a long discussion of who, where, what, when, and how the minute she opened her eyelids.

 **. . .**

The distinct smell of sanitary floors and strongly spiced cinnamon were the first two things that welcomed Sakura's senses. She inhaled the scents deeply before her eyes fluttered open. A small amount of light spilled in to the dimly lit room through the window. Sakura could barely make out anything else, other than the fact that Sasuke was in the room with her.

 _It's just us and him, girl!_ Inner Sakura winked, dancing around happily. Sakura blushed at the thought before leaning up quickly and finding his body sitting in the chair next to her bed.

Her head began to throb from her sudden motion, and she grabbed it instantly, stabilizing herself. "What happened? Why am I here?"

"You got your ass kicked, and now we're at the hospital." The Uchiha scoffed, standing up from his seat and stalking towards her. Sakura simply frowned at his response before looking away, a blush furiously overtaking her features.

 _Damn his gorgeous looks and masculine build._

There wasn't much to this hospital room. It looked like any other room except it was slightly larger, and had an examination table. As Sakura's thoughts began to wander, she finally felt the different fabric that encased her body and she flushed with panic. Had Sasuke put her in this outfit?

"What?! Where are my clothes?" Sakura screamed out, pulling at the hospital gown and looking at the simple pattern of red and blue swirls on it.

"They're ruined. Tsunade threw them away." Sasuke smirked at her, and she felt herself flush even further. She was already embarrassed enough, and this wasn't helping. "Don't worry, I didn't change you out of them. Tsunade did that as well."

A small exhale escaped Sakura's lips and the tension that built up in her shoulders loosened up. "Well, now what?"

"Tsunade should be on her way back and then you'll be spending some more time with her. I'm not sure what she wants, she never told me."

The amount of words that had fallen from Sasuke's mouth had stunned Sakura. Never has she heard that many words come from Sasuke all at once. She offered him a small smile before nodding. As she did so, Tsunade pushed through the doors and her face pulled into a smile as she came across a now awake Sakura.

"Glad to see you're finally awake. Uchiha, you're excused!"

"Hn." Sasuke's eyes lingered on Sakura's longer than they should've, and he smirked. It was closer to a smile than Sakura had ever seen, and although she was confused by his actions, she returned his smile. His dark, onyx orbs shimmered as he turned his head and made his way through the door. He waved a small good bye to Tsunade on his way out.

"Now then. Where in the hell did you get that curse mark, Sakura? And be honest with me, because I _need_ to know these things." Tsunade's honey colored eyes were already pressing into Sakura's soul, and she felt the small amount of stress in her shoulders begin to climax. One large gulp, and a sigh later, Sakura began to explain what the curse mark was, and what she turned into.

"It all started back during the Chunin exams. Orochimaru had breached the second part of the exams while we were in the Forest of Death, and he was after Sasuke. Well, I might have sealed my fate when I jumped in front of Sasuke while Orochimaru lunged at him, intending to attack him. Needless to say, I was hit by the attack, not Sasuke. Resulting in this curse mark. Anger fuels it, and once I'm pissed off and passed my breaking point, my body is enveloped in the curse mark's lines. That's only level one. It slightly increases my strength and speed, but shit really hits the fan during level two." Sakura took a deep breath of air before continuing. She glanced quickly over to Tsunade, her golden eyes still staring intently at her. "I don't remember anything once I reach level two. The pain is far too great, but as you saw for yourself, it's nothing pretty. I hurt people, kill them. I destroy things, and I don't even remember it. I don't like going there, and I try to stay far away from it. Please, Lady Tsunade, never make me go there again." Sakura's soft pleas and her explanation made Tsunade simply nod her head.

"I didn't make you do anything, Sakura. We will work on fixing this so you _can_ control that beast. Everything will be okay from here on out, but I need you to be honest and open with me about these things. Got it?" Tsunade's motherly tone took over, and Sakura smiled at her, nodding her head in agreement. The warm look in her teacher's eyes took over, and Sakura felt all the stress in her body begin to come to a calm, and mellow out.

"We'll continue with more training tomorrow. Instead of sparring, we'll be looking more into medical techniques." With a soft smile, and a wink, Tsunade pressed her hand to Sakura's shoulder. "Let's get you outta here, kid."

 **. . .**

Sakura laid in bed that night, enjoying the cool draft that blew in through her window. She thought about her training that happened earlier on in the day, and she felt her stomach churn. The feeling of losing control to the curse mark always bugged her. It kept her awake at night, and stressed her out. Squeezing her eyes shut, she felt her blood boil and her heart rate speed up. Exhaling angrily, she opened her eyes again and stared at the ceiling. The tiles distracted her mind as she followed the line with her eyes. As the lines ended once it hit the wall above the door to her room, a figure stood in the doorway. Covered in shadows, a lone stranger faced her. In an instant, her kunai was in her hand and she was in a defensive kneel.

"Calm down, Sakura." The chilling tone set her nerves on edge, and she melted at the sound of Sasuke's voice. Placing the kunai back in its hiding spot, she pressed her body back down in bed.

"Don't sneak up on me like that. How did you even get in here? Everything is locked." She faced the dark haired man as he walked towards her, questions like these always went unanswered.

"You forget that I'm a shinobi, idiot." He teased, casually sitting on her bed next to where her body was laying. "Did that thing happen today?"

Sakura was going to question him, and try to act stupid, but the thought of that was childish. She had already told him about what happens with her curse mark. There was no need to lie to him. "Yeah."

"Figured. I felt the pulse of chakra and came to see what was going on. You're lucky no one else felt it, though." His tone was rather warm and comforting, and it made Sakura melt even more. She offered him a smile before reaching for his hand. Slowly tugging on his index finger, she stroked the back of his knuckles with small and rhythmical circles. Before she could comprehend that her hand was now in his, she was stuttering out a sentence.

"Did you- Are you going- Is Naruto-" The small snort that sounded from him broke what concentration she had left, and she felt annoyed. Not with him, but herself. "I'm glad I'm back, Sasuke."

"Hn."

Disappointment filled her body, and she pulled her hand away from him as she rolled over on her side. She hated that he always replied with either a grunt, or his famous 'Hn.' The more she thought about it, maybe she was slightly annoyed with him more so than her herself.

"I'm glad you're back too, Sakura."

 _What! That's so unlike him to say something like that._ Inner Sakura was melted in a pile of pink goo, and her heart rate was now faster than it had been earlier. She felt her hands begin to sweat, and the overpowering scent of spiced cinnamon shrouded her senses. The creak of her bed indicated that he had moved, but to her surprise, Sasuke Uchiha was now laying next to Sakura Haruno.

She could feel the warmth of his body radiate and envelope her own. If her heart had just been out of control, it was now wild and beating against her rib cage, screaming to be released from its chamber. Sakura decided she would let things play out the way they were meant to be. She rolled over to face him, and found her head cradled against the crooked of his neck, and boy, did it fit _perfectly_. An instant surge of heat flashed through her face, and her cheeks were burning as though they were filled with lava. She inhaled and exhaled his sweet scent, and enjoyed the comforting feeling of their bodies pressing together. With each passing minute, she felt her body relax, and by the time her mind was clear and she could think again, she was drained of energy; absolutely exhausted.

"Sasuke." Murmured Sakura quietly into his neck. Her breath that brushed along his neck made the hairs on his neck stand on end and his face heat up. Silence filled the room, and he figured she had finally fallen asleep.

"You shouldn't stay here, you'll get in trouble."

Sakura's voice was tired, and her words were slurring due to her mind casually slipping into a slumber, pulling her body to a night filled of dreams. The soft and even puffs of air that exhaled through her nose kept sending shivers down Sasuke's spine, and the scent of fresh vanilla flowed from her hair. All the different scents and sensations were driving him to lose control. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind, and what seemed like an eternity had passed before he finally answered.

"Don't be annoying, Sakura."

Sakura hadn't fallen asleep yet, and although the comment should've been rather rude and irritating, she found it to be somewhat comforting. It wasn't the rudest thing that Sasuke had ever said to her, but it wasn't the nicest, either. Instead, it was just a neutral thing, and something she would happily take. Before her mind submitted to sleep, she felt her lips pull into a smile.

For once, she felt happiness flow through her body and her mind filled with peace.

* * *

 **A/N** : Hiya :)

I'm here to update early cause you guys deserve it! Also, one thing I want you to know. Since Sakura has the curse mark, the whole bench scene with Sakura pouring her heart and feelings out to Sasuke never happened. So I figured this would be a good way to fill the "annoying" scene. xD I hope it worked. If not, ah well. It's there, and it's going to stay! So now, the 'annoying' thing happened, and it's their thing. I hope that makes sense.

Don't forget to review, and I hope you guys enjoy! Thanks for reading :)

-Ro.


	7. Safeguard

**Uproot  
** Safeguard

* * *

"What do you _mean_?" A vicious hiss escaped through the teeth of Orochimaru. His yellow eyes narrowed as he stared the older shinobi down. To his surpise, the Leaf nin only stood with a blank expression on his face. Anger fumed within the Sannin's body as he began to pace. As silence filled the room, he knocked glasses of liquids from Kabuto's experiment table and let out frustrated grunts.

"I can find her, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto straightened his stance, looking from Orochimaru, and back to the older man. He found himself glaring at the Leaf shinobi as well.

A scoff sounded from the black haired Sannin as he whipped his body around and marched up to Kabuto. Their faces were inches apart, and he could see Kabuto's throat swallow heavily with fear. "You really think she would listen to _you_? You of all people?" An icy tone slithered out of Orochimaru's mouth, and he began to pace once more. Kabuto's face fell at the words of his mentor.

"She returned to the village. As of now, she's staying. She's on probation. And your precious _comrade_ , Tsunade, is supervising her." The words were clearly spoken, and they only angered Orochimaru more.

"I knew she wouldn't come back." He sneered, "Looks like we'll be making an appearance in the village, soon. Very soon."

Kabuto snorted as he nodded at Orochimaru before taking his leave from the room. A quick wave to Orochimuru and the other shinobi in the room, and he was through the doors and making his way down the hall. The Snake Sannin looked back to his acquaintance in the room before smiling mischievously.

"Thank you for the information, _Danzo_."

 **. . .**

"I'll see you bright and early tomorrow, Sakura!" Tsunade called out as she picked her text books up from the small tables that loitered in the study room. Bookshelves lined the walls, and three chairs resided alongside the tables. While the study wasn't particularly small, it wasn't large either. The study is a comfortable amount of space to tuck away in the corner and get lost in the many medical books that Tsunade owned. Sakura found that while studying under Tsunade, not only would she be exercising her new abilities, but she would also be going more into depth with medical jutsu.

Sakura huffed, exhausted. "Yes, Lady Tsunade!"

She scurried out of the building and began her walk to her apartment. Her eyes throbbed from the headache that nestled behind her eyes, and she simply wanted to go back to her bed and crawl in it for the remainder of the day. With each step that she took, she grew more irritated with the fact that she had been up for almost six hours, and all she had done was read, take notes, and ask her mentor questions.

 _She could've at least let me practice some of these new things, instead of reading for six hours straight._

A tired yawn escaped her mouth, and she found herself pulling her apartment key off the top of the trim to her door, and unlocking it. Upon entering, the sweet and intoxicating smell that she had grown use to over the short amount of time that she had been back, lingered in the enclosed building. Sakura inhaled deeply. Upon catching the signature scent, another smell lingered in the air; _food_.

"Sasuke?" Sakura let the straps of her bag fall loosely off her shoulders and down her arms, and she set it aside. She pealed her boots off of her feet and left them at the door as well. Stalking to the kitchen - half asleep now - she found exactly who she was looking for.

"Hn."

"What're you doing here? And how did you get in?" After the words fell from her mouth, she realized she would get the same smart ass retort from Sasuke that she got last time she asked him how he got in.

The raise of an eyebrow from him indicated that she should know how he got in. Sakura offered a small smile before her cheeks flushed. Quickly recovering from her embarrassment, she walked up to see exactly what he was doing; since he hadn't answered her first question. As she stood behind him, she peeked around his body to see that he had made some delicious looking soup, and she felt the saliva in her mouth begin to flow. Not only was she trying to keep herself from drooling, but now her stomach was releasing unruly growls of every volume. Again, Sasuke turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"Go sit down." His cool demeanor sent shivers down her spine, and she simply nodded to him. Sakura felt her feet dragging against the cool floorboards as she made her way to her dining table. Sitting down, she rest her hand against the side of her face and began to feel herself doze off. Just as sleep began to flood her consciousness, she felt her face make contact with the table and her body jerk awake. Beside her her stood a smirking Sasuke.

Sakura glared into his black eyes, pissed off. "Sasuke, you ass! What the hell was that for?"

Not only had she embarrassed herself earlier with her repetitive question, but now he was playing games with her. Knocking her elbow out from under her and watching her face smash against the wooden table.. Who did he think he was?!

"My entertainment." He pressed on, setting down a bowl that contained a thick liquid and smelled absolutely delicious.

Sakura felt her anger within her melt, and happiness take over her petite frame. As she picked her eating utensil up, she began to dig into the miso soup that Sasuke had prepared for h- for the both of them, and she wolfed hers down. The feeling of food entering her body instantly perked her up, and the headache she had early began to fade. Upon finishing, she let out a content sigh and slumped down in her chair.

"That really hit the spot." Sakura began to feel content, the warm soup in her stomach was now making her even more tired. Sasuke was done with his bowl of soup, and picked them both up and made his way back to the kitchen. The sound of the facet pulled Sakura from her thoughts, and she jolted to the kitchen. Sasuke looked at her with his famous expressionless face, and looked back down to the sink.

"I can do those." She offered, making her way to his side and casually trying to scoot him out of the way. To no avail, Sasuke remained planted in front of the sink and washed the dishes. A smirk graced his lips as Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and stomped off towards her room. Her bed called out to her, and once she crawled in and under the cotton linen, she finally felt the tension in her shoulders release. That is, until she heard Sasuke walk in.

"What are you doing?" His deep voice made the hair on her neck stand tall, and she let out a small squeak. The calm tone he used always made her heart beat faster, and harder against her rib cage.

Sakura scoffed. "I'm not answering your question."

"Sakura."

"Fine! I'm going back to sleep because I'm tired. Okay, mother?" Sakura smiled to herself at her insult. It may have been childish, but Inner Sakura stood proudly; chest puffed out with a victorious smile grinning from ear to ear.

"Don't call me that." Sasuke's tone changed to an icy one. "Get up. We have stuff to do."

Sakura rolled over and narrowed her eyes at him. Her blood began to boil within her until she saw his eyes shimmering with serenity. "I already had a lesson this morning with Lady Tsunade. Just let me sleep! And last I checked, you weren't my mentor. Or my mother. So if-" Before Sakura could finish her sentence, he had a grip on her wrist. She felt her body being ripped from the warmth of her bed and the feeling of his arm wrapping around the back of her thighs as she was hoisted up and onto his shoulder.

Here she was, being carried like a sack of potatoes by none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

"You better put me down or I'll..." She slammed her fists into his back and kicked her feet with all her might. Even infusing chakra into her fists wasn't working as she slammed them into his shoulder blade. Nothing was working; he wasn't even answering her with a small grunt anymore.

"You're being annoying, Sakura."

With those words being said, Sakura glared off into the distance as he made his across the rooftops of Konoha. Not only had he made her slam her face off of the dining table, but now he had pulled her from the comfort of her bed and was taking her to Kami knows where.

 **. . .**

Upon their arrival, Sakura was dropped off Sasuke's shoulder, and she landed in the grass with a loud grunt. Her green eyes narrowed sharply at the smirking Uchiha, who then tossed her boots to the side of her.

"You're not scoring any points, you know." Sakura mumbled, sliding her boots on her foot and zipping the backs up. The buttons clicked as she latched them in place and stood up. Specks of dirt and blades of grass were brushed from her clothing before she peered into black eyes. In the sun, they shimmered silver flecks.

"Aa." Sasuke sounded before he brushed passed her shoulder and began walking away from her. "Let's spar."

 _Is he serious?_

Sakura found her mouth gaping open, and she cleared her throat as she chased after him.

"You're serious?" She reached for his shoulder, and as her hand clamped down, his form disappeared in a puff of smoke. An instant frown overtook her features as she screamed. "You're such an ass!"

 **. . .**

After what seemed like hours of a barrage of punches, kicks, and different ninjutsus, the two shinobi were now sitting in the grass, side by side. Sakura looked out over the training ground, and giggled at the site. Between craters that had been punched into the ground by her own fists, and the burnt and char-coaled greenery by Sasuke's doing, the training ground was a disaster. A small sigh escaped Sakura as she fell onto her back and closed her eyes.

"It's nice being back, Sasuke." A small grunt sounded from the Uchiha, and a smile graced Sakura's lips.

Her alone time with Sasuke always made her nervous, and giddy. But Sakura wasn't a fan girl of Sasuke anymore, she had grown passed that stage. She was now a strong, young woman. And even though Sasuke had opened up to her lately, and treated her much nicer than he had when they were Genin, she would never show her fan girl side to him again. Even if her life depended on it.

As she started to drift off, she began to feel a very strange and unsettling chakra signature. As her green orbs opened, she peered to her left, only to find nothing. While the chakra signature was still there, her heart began to beat faster. The unsettling signature was now feeling familiar, and her breath hitched. Sakura's heart stopped, and panic began to course through her veins.

 _Kabuto._

Pushing herself up from the ground, she grabbed Sasuke's arm and hoisted him up quickly as well.

"Hn, what're you doing Sak-" She had already cut him off.

"Let's go back to the village. I'm tired, and want to shower. You should probably do the same, you stink." She offered a nervous smile, and began to pull on his arm. She lead the way back to the village, and away from Kabuto. She glanced over her shoulder one more time, only to see the malicious smirk, and a glint of his glasses before he was out of site.

Once they made it back within the village, Sakura's heart was now racing within her body, and she couldn't think clearly. As her body underwent autopilot, she steered herself towards her apartment rather quickly, and was already pulling the door open, when she finally came back to her senses. The leftover smell of soup from earlier still lingered inside her apartment, and along with the delicious scent, was an eerie feeling. As she made her way inside, she flicked the lights on. Sitting in front of her was none other than Kabuto, and her temper was immediately flaring. The apartment door slammed shut behind her, and she bared her teeth at the white haired medic.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Kabuto?" Sakura growled at him, standing firmly in the entry way of her home.

"Why haven't you returned back to us, Sakura?" Kabuto mocked her, knowing all too well why Orochimaru's apprentice hadn't returned. His toothy grin was only infuriating Sakura.

The pinkette narrowed her eyes at Kabuto, and then looked away; very well aware that he was baiting her. She didn't answer, instead, she bit her lip and put her hands behind her back. Kabuto raised an eyebrow at her.

"Answer me, Sakura."

"I don't answer to you." She hissed back, fully aware that the curse mark was pulsing within her, and begging to be released. She clenched her teeth at the ridiculous amount of pain that coursed through her body, but didn't show it to _him._

"Ah, I'll be sure to let Lord Orochimaru know. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to learn that you no longer wish to fulfill your mission." His smooth voice was irritating.

Finally, the curse mark began to break through the seal, and sprawl across her back and chest. Kabuto grinned at the site, and titled his chin up. "We've also got word that you're studying under Tsunade now. I don't think that's very fair to Orochimaru now, is it?" His mocking tone was getting closer now. The medic nin pushed up from his seat, and began to walk towards Sakura, who was now suffering, trying to hold the curse mark back.

"Get the fuck away from me, Kabuto. I'll kill you. That's a promise." She seethed at him through clenched teeth.

Through short gasps of air, her mind began to lose control, and the curse mark was now spreading throughout her whole body. Her heart was out of control as it pumped molten hot blood through her veins, and she found Kabuto was no longer in site. Falling to her knees, she caught the feint signature of Kabuto behind her, and she rallied on him. With her superhuman strength, she latched her hand around his throat, and pushed his body against the wall. A loud gasp and whimper sounded from Kabuto as his back collided with the wall. The grip around his windpipe began to tighten, and his eyes began to squint, but the mischievous smile never faded.

"You've got a month, Sakura. Orochimaru is growing impatient." The words were rasp, and short due to the lack of air that the medic nin was inhaling.

Sakura sneered, and as she gave into the curse, Kabuto vanished in a puff of smoke. Her hand was no longer gripping his throat, and she stood there, panting heavily.

"A clone..." Sakura growled, before falling to her knees again. This time, she no longer sensed his chakra signature near her, and she curled her body up into a ball. Her knees were pulled to her chest, and she inhaled and exhaled slowly as she laid on the floor of her entry way. Inner Sakura soothed her mind by lulling a small hum, and the curse began to recede back to the seal. Her mind began to feel serene again as the curse faded, and she closed her eyes.

The feeling of the cool wood against her face felt so soothing, and she soon found her mind losing consciousness.

"What a day..." She murmured to herself, and as those words fell from her lips, she was finally asleep.

 **. . .**

Sasuke had sensed that something was wrong with Sakura immediately after their sparring match. What he found even more strange, was the unfamiliar chakra signature that had pulsed near them, and Sakura reacted rather panicked. Upon being lifted and pulled from his seat on the ground, he followed her.

"Let's go back to the village. I'm tired, and want to shower. You should probably do the same, you stink." Her voice was rather shaky, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

 _I don't stink._

With a hushed sigh, he followed his teammate back to the village. The walk home was off, as Sakura was quiet. She was never _this_ quiet. Figuring that she had fallen victim to her thoughts, he veered off and acted as though he was making his way to his own apartment, but began to follow her. Her body movements were stiff, and her eyes looked as though they were glazed over. She made quick work of getting to her apartment, and Sasuke had already sensed the unfamiliar chakra signature again. His own anger spiked as he got closer to her building now, curious as to what exactly was going on. Concealing his chakra, he landed on the top of her apartment building. The sun had set, and darkness had blanketed over Konoha. He admired the lights around the village during the night.

As the scene unfolded from the inside of Sakura's apartment, Sasuke listened in closely. Honing in on his excellent hearing abilities, he knew that the shinobi within the building was an enemy. The sound of distress sounded from Sakura as she questioned the foe, who's name was Kabuto. Upon hearing the name, his recollection of this Kabuto now made sense. An S-ranked missing nin, who was excellent with medical justu, and Orochimaru's right-hand man. Everything made sense now.

The sound of a loud thud brought Sasuke back from his thoughts, and he was now positioned to rush to Sakura's aid, but he still felt her signature hot and glowing. More alive than ever. He smirked, knowing all too well that Kabuto was done for. Within a minute, the remainder of Kabuto's chakra signature was gone, and he felt Sakura's begin to dwindle.

A scoff sounded from the Uchiha, and he waited. The small bit of chakra that emit from her body, was now a small flame as she fell asleep. The slow and even pulse was an indicator that she was out for the night. As he pushed off from the roof, he made his way to her door and grabbed the key from the top of the trim.

 _She should really try hiding this better._

The thought ran through his mind as he entered the apartment. Right at the entrance, was Sakura. Her knees were pulled to her chest, and her body looked rather exhausted. Her long pink locks stuck to her face from the sweat and grime from the day, and he smirked. Picking her motionless body up gently, he made his way to her room and took her to her bed. He knew she had had a long day, and sleeping on the floor wouldn't have been the best for her body.

Sasuke placed her down in the middle of her bed, and pulled the cotton sheets up to rest on her chest. He then tucked the stray tendrils of hair behind her ear before leaving. As he pushed up and away from her bed, she moved ever so slightly. He turned to look back at her, and noticed that from the position that her body now laid in, that the moonlight that was shining in through her window and highlighting her features perfectly.

For once, Sasuke smiled at Sakura, and took in the sight of her natural beauty. He closed the door behind him, and exited the apartment building. As he made his way home, his hands were shoved inside his pockets, and he found himself thinking of Sakura the entire way home.

The need to protect her was now fueled due to the unexpected visit from Kabuto. His brows knitted themselves together as he stepped inside his apartment building.

 _I won't lose her again._

* * *

 **A/N** : Thank you for reading.


	8. Emotions

**Uproot  
** Emotions

* * *

Her time in Konoha was passing by rather quickly, and day by day, she attended her usual training and studying lessons with Tsunade. Not only could she feel herself getting physically stronger, but the chakra that coursed through her was changing as well. Her chakra storage could withstand more use, and for that, she was thankful. Not only would she be using it for fighting, but for all the medical techniques she had been learning from her mentor. Sakura would always go home after training, eating something small, and then crash in bed minutes after she arrived home. Unless a certain dark haired shinobi found his way into her apartment, and kept her from sleeping.

"Sasuke, how many times have I told you? Tell me before you just show up here on your own." Sakura growled as she threw her boots off to the side at the entry way, and dropped her bag to the floor. Sasuke growled his response as he peeked over the top of the recliner at her. She discarded her key on the kitchen counter and trudged towards the bathroom. She was in need for a hot shower after her training session with Tsunade today. Her sessions with Kabuto always resulted in chakra exhaustion, and her mind began to resort back to her time with him and Orochimaru.

 _"You're not doing good enough. What would Lord Orochimaru think?" Kabuto's mouth pulled into a straight line, and his eyes narrowed at Sakura as she fell to the floor. Orochimaru's experiments needing healing, due to the all the failed experiments and treatments that most were receiving, but he wouldn't let them go quite yet. Instead, he handed them over to Sakura for her to practice her medical jutsu on._

 _Punishment for failing to fully heal his experiments were always painful, and she loathed him for that. Every day that went by in this dark pit of Hell, she regretted every one. But her goal to become strong always lingered in the front of her brain. The pinkette pushed herself up from the cold and damp floor, and pushed her long locks out of her face. A glare cast upon her face as she made eye contact with Kabuto._

 _"Finish healing him. **Now** , Sakura." Another order sounded throughout the room. Sakura bit down on her bottom lip as she began applying the familiar chakra to her hands, and weaving through the skin cells, muscle tissue, and blood veins of Orochimaru's victim. A silent sigh escaped her mouth as she finished repairing the torn muscles, and ripped skin._

 _She rocked back on her heels and wiped the sweat beads from her forehead. As she turned towards Kabuto, he offered a small smile and nodded. As much as she hated the white haired medic, seeing a smile on his face always made her feel good. She missed the praising she had always received back in Konoha._

 _"Only three more to go, and then you're done with medical training. Orochimaru wants you to go to him afterwards." Kabuto scoffed as he pushed his glasses up his noise. Sakura replied with a small nod and began working on the next patient._

 _Kabuto really pissed her off sometimes._

The scalding water felt good against her aching body, as she sat in the tub. The water snaked through her hair gracefully, and down her cream colored skin; washing away all the sweat that had covered her body due to all the concentration from exercising medical jutsu. After letting the water clash against her skin for what seemed like twenty minutes, she finally coated her hair with shampoo, and washed her body. Towel drying her hair off rather quickly, she combed through it, threw on shirt and sweats, and made her way to the kitchen.

Sasuke eyed her as she made her way to the fridge and began to rummage through it, looking for a quick bite to eat before heading to her bed to sleep the day away.

"There's nothing in there." Sasuke's voice sounded lazy as he rest his head back against the recliner. He had picked up one of the many books that lined the shelves in her front room, and was looking through it.

"So that's why you're here." Sakura teased him. As a result, Sasuke threw one of her throw pillows and smacked her in the back. "Hey!"

A small chuckle sounded from Sasuke as he went back to looking at the textbook.

"Wanna go to Ichiraku's?" Sakura asked as she walked towards him, stifling a yawn.

"Hn."

"Alright, then lets go." Sakura slipped her boots back on and grabbed her key from the counter, placing it back on top of the trim on the outside of her door.

"You should really learn to hide that better." Sasuke commented as he pushed his way by her, his porcelain face looking handsome as ever.

"Yeah, yeah..." Sakura muttered in response, and they were on their way to lunch.

 **. . .**

"Oi, why do you always hang out with teme and not me, Sakura?" Naruto whined into Sakura's ear.

 _Upon their arrival at Ichiraku, Naruto was sat at the bar, slurping his share of ramen. Hearing Sasuke's deep voice, and Sakura's girlish giggles, had him turned around and looking wide-eyed at his teammates. His heart could be heart shattering from miles away. With his signature whine and pout, Sasuke was already pinching the bridge of his nose, and shaking his head at their ridiculous blonde haired teammate._

"I don't always hang out with Sasuke, he's like a creeper stalker who follows me around." Sakura nudged Sasuke's elbow as she took another bite of her ramen. Sasuke snorted in response and muttered an incoherent response.

"Ne, you would pummel me if I did that. Why is it okay when he does it?" Naruto prodded Sakura, obviously teasing his female comrade.

A small blush came to Sakura's cheeks at Naruto's question, and she turned away from the two of them. "I didn't say it was okay..." She mumbled through her mouthful of food. Naruto simply laughed at her, and Sasuke smirked.

 _It's so nice being with these two again._

"We should ask Granny Tsunade if we can go on a mission together sometime soon! It'll be like old times. Even Kakashi-sensei can come along." Naruto had finished his third bowl of ramen now, and wiped his mouth of the remaining juice before turning to Sasuke and Sakura. Sakura rubbed the back of her neck and adverted her eyes towards her empty bowl. Sasuke simply looked at Naruto with a blank expression and should his head slightly.

"What?" Naruto confronted them, confused.

"Sakura is still on probation, dobe." Sasuke replied coldly. Sakura nodded her head.

"Ehh, I'm sure Granny Tsunade will see around that probation, and let her go anyways! It's worth a shot. Come on, let's go ask her." Naruto gripped Sakura by the wrist and pulled her off the stool. As he turned to do the same to Sasuke, Sasuke veered away from the direction of his handed. Sakura giggled to herself as Naruto continued to grab at Sasuke's wrist, and the two looked like they had in the Genin days again.

"Dobe, I will break every rib in your body if you grab my wrist." Sasuke hissed through clenched teeth.

"Oh, quit playing hard to get, teme! I'm not Sakura, I won't play that game!" Naruto teased back, but resulted in getting a smack to the head by Sakura who was now blushing furiously.

"Ow!" Naruto complained, releasing his grip on her wrist and rubbing his head. Sasuke smirked and rolled his eyes at the comment. Naruto threw down his payment for his ramen on the counter, Sakura and Sasuke following pursuit and the three left the stall, waving their good bye to Teuchi.

Their walk to the Hokage tower was short lived, but filled with laughs and lots of catching up. Stories of how Naruto and Sasuke had grown up, closer, and stronger together made Sakura smile. On the inside, she felt differently, though. If only she had stayed and been here with her team, she too could've grown closer to them. But she was tired of always being behind them when it came to skills. She tucked the guilt away, and was thankful for the inner strength she found within herself, and how she had grown while away from the Leaf.

Naruto's fist beating against the door brought Sakura back from her thoughts, and her stomach began to churn. What was she thinking, asking if she could go on a mission with her old team? She looked away from the boys to try to hide the distressed look that was cast upon her face. Knowing all too well that a pair of eyes had been watching her, and already seen the expression, she caught a glimpse of Sasuke's Sharingan as she peaked up at him. Pink tendrils of hair fell in front of her eyes as she looked away again.

"Come in." Tsunade's voice could be heard from behind the closed doors. Sakura's stomach churned within her as Naruto pushed the doors open and Team 7 began to make their way into the Hokage's office.

"Ah! If it isn't my student with her boys. What're you up to at this time of day?" Tsunade chirped form behind her desk. Shizune offered the three a small smile as she held Tonton in her arms.

"Oi. Granny Tsunade! Give us a mission." Naruto marched up to the desk and smacked his hands on the surface. His goofy grin and bright blue eyes were shimmering with hope. Tsunade simply raised an eyebrow at the blonde then cast her stare towards Sakura. Emerald orbs met honey orbs, and Tsunade's brows knitted themselves together. A small sigh sounded from the Hokage as she stood up from her seat. Her arms crossed over her chest as she turned to look out the window, and down on her Village.

A long pause filled the room.

"I can't do that." Tsunade finally breathed out.

Sakura looked down in embarrassment, her cheeks were burning with fire. Naruto snarled with disgust as he threw his hands in the air. All the words that began to fall out of her comrade's mouth made no sense. Her hearing began to go fuzzy, and hot tears began to well up behind her eyes. She gulped and clenched her fists by her sides; the feeling in her knuckles began to fade as they turned from cream to white.

As the curse mark in her neck began to nip at her skin, she finally felt something against her hand. Adverting her eyes to see what the feeling was, it was none other than Sasuke. He brushed his hand against hers every so slightly, comforting her almost. The hot liquid began to fade as she let the corners of her lips pull up into a soft smile, and the Uchiha's mouth pulled into his signature smirk. Whatever he had just done, saved her from losing her mind and body to the curse mark.

A sigh of relief finally exhaled past her lips, and she pushed her pink locks behind her ear. Sakura finally looked back up to see Tsunade and Naruto screaming in each other's faces now, and her green eyes widened.

 _The nerve of Naruto..._

Sakura's inner self rolled her eyes and looked away, while Sakura simply shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose; a habit that she found herself picking up on thanks to Sasuke.

"Fine! I'll give you a mission, but the Council will have my head, Naruto! Does that make you happy?" Tsunade finally slammed her fist down on her desk, shattering the surface and collapsing the figure to the floor. Papers and files fell to the floor with it.

"Dobe..." Sasuke sighed, as he looked away and crossed his arms. Shizune simply gawked at the scene that had unfolded in front of her eyes, and she was now lecturing Tsunade about her famous temper.

"That is your second desk, Lady Tsunade! You can't keep doing that!" Shizune scolded the blonde as she rushed out of the door, in search of a new desk, more than likely.

Naruto was celebrating his victory over Tsunade, and was grinning from ear to ear, and jumping for joy. "Team 7 is back in action! How's about an S-Rank mission, Granny Tsunade?!"

"Absolutely not. The three of you plus Kakashi will be getting an escort mission, and that's it." Tsunade glared at Naruto as she began to flip through the missions folders. "Yep, there's one right here. I'll brief you in the morning before you depart. This needs to be kept a secret, Naruto. Do you understand?" Tsunade grabbed the blonde haired shinobi by the collar of his shirt and pulled him close to her face. Their eyes were now level, and Naruto gulped; sweat beads began to form on the temples of his head.

"Y-yes, Granny Tsunade." He whimpered, "But the Council is bound to find out, eventually."

The grip on his shirt loosened, and Tsunade turned her attention towards her student again.

"I'll figure that out. For the time being, just ready yourselves. I'm only doing this so you'll quit bugging me." Tsunade waved Naruto away, her honey eyes still locked onto Sakura's emerald eyes. "I'm also doing it for you, Sakura. You're not going to improve by just staying around the Village. You need to get out and also put your skills to the test. Although it's an easy mission, I'm sure trouble will find you guys. You _are_ Team 7."

"Tch." Sasuke finally made a sound, and Naruto was already chuckling, his arms behind his head and a grin spread across his face. Sakura's face lit up as well and she nodded.

"Now then, you're dismissed." Tsunade waved them out. The look in the Hokage's eyes caught Sakura's attention and made her cheeks flush.

 _What the hell was with that look?_

Inner Sakura gritted her teeth together and narrowed her eyes in frustration. As Team 7 left the office and made their way out of the building, Naruto threw his hands behind his head and smiled at his comrades. Nodding, he began to rub the back of his head; a trait he had picked up as a Genin.

"Say, this is gonna be like old times again..." He began, trailing off slightly as he looked up at the darkening sky, "and I'm really happy to be able to go on a mission. With our team. It's good to have you back, Sakura."

The pinkette's cheeks began to heat up and were tinted with a light pink shade. She smiled softly at Naruto before pushing herself into his arms and throwing her arms around his neck. The loud mouthed shinobi stuttered, eyes wide and mouth gaping open. He stood motionless while Sakura remained on her tip toes, hugging his frozen body.

"Thank you, Naruto." She cooed softly, feeling his arms close around her petite frame. Sasuke merely glared at his teammates, Naruto mostly, as the hug came to an end and Sakura pulled away.

"Dobe..." The Uchiha muttered in a cold tone, before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away from the two. Naruto yelled at his best friend and looked back to Sakura once more before saying good bye for the night.

"I'll see you tomorrow! Don't be late!" The blonde caught his best friend before throwing his arms around Sasuke's torso and starting a wrestling match between the boys. Sakura smiled to herself as she began to make her own way home.

 _It's always a contest between the two._

She bit her lip on the way to her apartment as she thought about Sasuke's remark and how short and icy it had sounded. What was that about? He had been perfectly fine while trying to snag a mission, and between the time they left the Hokage's office and when Naruto had started talking-

 _Sasuke was jealous._

Sakura smirked to herself now. He was jealous that Naruto was being sentimental, and that she had hugged her friend. An overwhelming feeling took hold of her heart, and she began walking faster now. Her smirk started to pull at the corners of her mouth, and before she knew it, she was smiling. Grinning, actually, like Naruto did when he was super excited.

 _If he's jealous, he's got to have feelings for me, right?_

Inner Sakura was dancing around, while Sakura reached for her apartment key on top of the trim. Her hands were shaky, and the familiar feeling of the key wasn't where it normally was. Inhaling deeply, she exhaled with a loud grunt.

" _Sasuke_."

That asshole took her key.

 **. . .**

Due to the fact that she had never been to Sasuke's place before, she was totally turned around and leading herself blindly. Frustration started to seep through her pores, and she breathed in sharply through her nostrils. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop was proving to be effective, but what good was it doing her when she didn't know what direction to go?

She couldn't ask Naruto, because he would hammer her with millions of questions. She couldn't go to Ino, well, because she hadn't exactly played catch up all that much with her old childhood friend. Instead, she found herself going to the first place that had crossed her mind. While it was a long shot, it might just be the spot that he'd be at.

 **. . .**

The eerie feeling that loomed over this part of the Village was already making the hairs on Sakura's arms and neck stand on end. The empty streets were lifeless, and dark. This part of town was nothing but lost in darkness, and shadows. As she made her way towards Sasuke's old house, she began to think that he definitely wasn't here. But her body wouldn't stop, she kept pressing on.

As she arrived in front of his house, not a single light was on.

 _Go figure, you dumb ass._

She gulped hard before looking around and rubbing her arms to warm herself up. Why did she feel so cold? The night offered a warm breeze, and it was still summer. Sakura found herself stepping forward, and progressing towards the house. On the inside, she was screaming. All her alarms were going off. This was a forbidden ground; how would Sasuke feel if he knew she was here? But her body kept ignoring her commands to stop, and kept pushing forward. Before she knew it, her hand was on the door, and she was now welcoming herself inside the home.

Upon entering, the heavy scent of dust filled her nostrils and a wave of fear flowed through her body. She knew that Sasuke wasn't here, so why did she continue her adventure? As she pushed passed the entrance, and began to walk deeper in his old family home, all the different rooms were empty, except for the thick layer of dust, and cobwebs. As she stepped into the kitchen, it was almost as though she could feel the amount of love and joy that use to fill this room every day. Sadness begin to pick away at her heart, and tears began to well up behind her eyes. As Sakura exited the room and made her way down the hall, she came across more rooms; empty like the rest had been.

As she stood in front of one of the doors, she looked down. The sadness that overcame her heart was still nesting inside of her, and she felt completely empty now. Sakura couldn't bring herself to explore the remainder of the house, and as she began to turn around, her back was forced back and against the wall, and a pair of hands were straddling her head; one on each side of her head and pressed flat against the wall. A scream escaped passed her lips, and once she comprehended what had happened, Sasuke had her body pressed against the wall.

Panic shimmered in her emerald orbs as Sasuke's Sharingan looked her body up and down. She felt like a predator had caught its prey, and the hungry look in his eyes clearly reflected that.

"Sakura..." A short pant filled the silence, and Sakura's ears began to ring. The feeling of Sasuke's body so close to hers began to set off all the alarms within her, and her body went numb.

"I-I just..." She couldn't make out the words.

The Uchiha's red eyes narrowed at her, and she felt the inside of her mouth go dry.

 _Fuck. He's so intimidating._

"Do... y-you have my key?" Now she felt like Hinata with all the stuttering. Her cheeks were now throbbing as though they were on fire.

Silence filled the void and she felt the heat radiating off of his body. She hadn't realized it, but she was holding her breath.

"Why are you here, Sakura."

A moment of silence passed between the two again.

"I was looking for you." Her voice was small, compared to his.

"So you came here?" The question was forced and his voice was stern.

"I thought you still lived here and I was looking for my key..." She began to trail off as his eyes began to move down her body again. Sakura felt like she was beginning to squirm under his glare, and she so badly wanted to remove herself from the wall, and away from his glare.

"Come on." And before she could answer, she was no longer pinned against the wall, but being dragged behind Sasuke. Her wrist in his hand, and they were already outside of the Uchiha Compound. One last look at the empty grounds, and they were already far away. Once they were within the live streets of the Village again, Sakura no longer felt the panic and sadness that resided in her heart minutes ago, but fear, now.

Where exactly was he taking her?

 **. . .**

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of her apartment door again, and this time Sasuke wasn't glaring at her anymore. Instead, he reached for the doorknob, twisted it, and opened it. Sakura's mouth fell open.

"You mean it was unlocked the entire time?" She screamed, throwing her arms in the air.

"Hn." Sasuke commented back before leaning against the wall, and avoiding eye contact with her.

"Where's my key?" She questioned, angrily.

As the question left her mouth, he was already holding his hand out, and her key placed perfectly between his fingers. She snatched it and placed it back on the top of the trim, where it belonged.

Sakura merely glared at the Uchiha before pressing past him and into her house. She had wasted time that she could've spent either studying one of Tsunade's medical books, or preparing her bag for tomorrow's mission. Her temper was getting the best of her as she stepped into the entry way, and just as her curse mark began to nip away at her skin, she heard the short call of Sasuke; he had called her name.

As Sakura poked her head back out of her apartment, Sasuke was still leaning against the wall, but looking at her this time.

"Don't be late tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm aware of what to do. I'm not an idiot like Naruto." She retorted back at him; short and curt.

"Hn."

Sakura rolled her eyes before she stepped back into her apartment. Just as the door was about to click in place, Sasuke had said something again.

"Sakura."

"What?!" The pinkette snapped. She was now planted in front of him with both of her hands on her hips, glaring into his onyx eyes. He was much taller and stronger than her, but she was annoyed now.

"You really are annoying." He smirked before pushing off of the wall and walking away.

Sakura straightened her stance as he walked away from her. A small smile began to pull at the corner of her mouth, and she shook her head.

 _It really is nice to be back in Konoha._

* * *

 **A/N** : Thanks for reading!

e.e I'm slaving away at more chapters, so stay tuned for Team 7's mission.


	9. Communication

**Uproot  
** Communication

* * *

As the morning sun stretched across the tree tops and kissed the former Hokage's faces that had been carved in the mountain side, Sakura finished packing, and neatly braided her long strands of hair into a braid. The pink tendrils of hair that were too short to reach back, neatly framed her face, and she found this new look rather appealing. As she stared into her reflection in the mirror, she began to contemplate what she'd look like with shorter hair.

 _We can think about that_ _ **after**_ _our mission!_ Inner Sakura fussed, tapping her foot impatiently.

Sakura moaned before rolling her eyes and exiting the bathroom. She grasped the strap on her backpack, slipped her boots on, and bid her apartment good bye for a few days. As she locked the door on her way out, a small and gentle presence appeared beside her. As she whipped around, she saw that it was an ANBU, and panic began to course through her veins.

 _Shit. The Council knows that I'm leaving on a mission..._

Sakura's green orbs stared into the hypnotizing design of the porcelain mask before she let out a small breath.

"Lady Hokage would like to see you." The voice was of a woman's, and although the voice was rather small, she knew this ANBU would kick ass if it came down to it.

A sigh of relief was now exhaled through her nostrils, and with a small nod, Sakura pushed passed the ANBU member, and made her way to her mentor's office. The rest of her walk there was rather rushed, as she needed to report to the front gates and meet her team. Hopefully Sasuke and Naruto wouldn't be too pissed at her if she were late; Tsunade would excuse her tardiness, right?

She bit down on her lower lip and pushed ahead.

 _Why didn't you ask me to stay and talk last night?!_

 **. . .**

As Sakura had thought, Tsunade would excuse Sakura of being late, but the boys didn't take her being late very well. Her fast pace came to a halt as she saw Naruto begin to fuss.

"Where have you been, Sakura?!" Naruto shouted, throwing both hands up in the air. The guys of Team 7 were either perched against a wall, sitting on the ground, or frantically pacing like a caged tiger. The person that they were to escort simply looked at Sakura with a small smile. Sakura offered a smile back, but the outburst of Naruto had caused her cheeks to heat up with embarrassment.

"Tsunade needed to see me, Naruto. Quit shouting. Can't you see it's early in the morning?" Sakura retorted, glaring daggers into him. Her emerald eyes were narrowed, and the fire inside her coursed through her body. Naruto instantly backed up, bringing his hands up in a stopping motion, and his face had fallen.

"Oh, sorry..." The blonde shinobi whimpered, then looked to Sasuke who was simply smirking.

"Dobe." Sasuke remarked quietly before pushing away from the wall. He adjusted the straps of his bag on his shoulders, and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"So why did Tsunade want to see you?" Kakashi questioned, raising a single eyebrow at Sakura.

"Well," Sakura began, looking away.

 **xxx**

 _"I can't let you go on a mission without a physical, Sakura. I was going to do one last night while you were still here, but I figured you would want to go home and get packed. So don't get all whiny with me." Tsunade pushed passed Sakura and grabbed a file from one of the cabinets._

 _"I even went and got your file from the hospital once you left here last night." Tsunade began to flip through the sheets of paper, scanning vigorously. "Ah."_

 _Sakura turned her head to look at her mentor from the corner of her eye before turning back to the window that overlooked Konoha. The way the sun dipped down and kissed the rooftops was beautiful. The clouds were moving slowly, and the morning dew could be seen, sparkling and shimmering as the rays of sun reflected from the small droplets._

 _Sakura's attention was brought back to reality when Tsunade began the physical. Her cold, slender fingers wrapped around Sakura's wrist, and with a small jump, Sakura turned to Tsunade who gave a small smile and went about her business._

 _"Do you think The Council will come after me?" Sakura broke the silence._

 _Tsunade remained quiet for a few minutes as she returned back to Sakura's medical folder, then back to taking Sakura's vitals._

 _"No," the answer was short and simple. Tsunade's tone was rather cold, and had a sharp edge to it. Sakura took that as an indicator to be quiet and not push the topic anymore._

 _As time went by and Tsunade had finished up Sakura's physical, she scribbled down more notes into the pinkette's folder before looking back to Sakura; the girl was clearly lost in her thoughts as she played with the end of her braid, and looked out the window with wide eyes._

 _"Nothing bad will happen to you while you're out there, Sakura. Don't worry, okay? Team 7 is as good as it gets." Tsunade assured her, patting the top of Sakura's head lightly before walking passed her and putting the folder away for safe keeping. "Besides, I'm sure Sasuke will keep a great eye on you."_

 _At that last remark, Sakura's face was burning, and her eyes were locked on Tsunade's._

 _"Well... Yeah, but!" She found herself struggling to find the right words to say, and Tsunade smirked at her stuttering student. "We're on a team, so of course he's got my back! That's what comrades do!"_

 _"Oh, please. I see the way he looks at you." Tsunade continued to conversation as she positioned herself back in her chair and grinned at Sakura; the girl was completely red and flustered now._

 _"I need to go! I'm going to be late for my mission." Sakura picked her bag up by the strap and flung it over her shoulders and began to exit to the office. Before she was out, Tsunade's thunderous laughter had started, and could be heard all the way at the bottom of the stairs to the building. Sakura tried to hide her reddened cheeks from any shinobi that had been walking the halls at that time in the morning, and to her frustration, there had been plenty of shinobi that stopped and asked if she was okay._

 _"Hey, Sakura-"_

 _"Miss, are you okay?"_

 _"Sakura, your face is red!"_

 _Of all the embarrassing moments in her life, she hated to think that Sasuke might actually care for her. And to have her mentor point it out? That made matters worse._

 _"Whatever..." She muttered to herself as she sprinted off towards the front gates._

 **xxx**

Upon finishing her story of the events that took place earlier that morning, Naruto simply grinned at her before clasping her shoulder and nodding.

"Alright! Well then let's get a move on. Tsunade briefed Kakashi-sensei on the mission, so he'll just tell us the details now. Glad you made it though! We were getting pretty worried." Naruto cooed, finally letting go of her shoulder. As he turned around to look at Kakashi, Sasuke's eyes were dead set on Naruto; a viscous scowl overtook his features. Naruto gulped, stepped away from Sakura, and positioned himself on the other side of their sensei before smiling mischievously at Sasuke.

As Kakashi began to brief the team on the mission, Naruto made eye contact with Sasuke again, this time he began to mouth words to him; _teme_ being the only one Sasuke saw before looking away and giving Kakashi his undivided attention.

 _Dobe,_ he thought to himself.

"... If you've got any questions, feel free to ask me before we start the mission. And Naruto, don't harass Hitu. We're simply escorting him, he doesn't need to be harassed by you on our journey to the Land of Waves." Kakashi finished, his slumping stance and bored voice seemed to get the point across to his team. Naruto looked at him with a confused look on his face before raising a hand to his chin.

"You weren't listening at all, were you?" Kakashi asked with a raised eye brow.

Naruto merely replied with his signature grin, and scratched the back of his neck.

"Naruto, you idiot." Sakura chimed in before readjusting her backpack and turning to Hitu. As she made eye contact with Hitu, his face had lost the smile that it held earlier, and was something more along the lines of curious.

"What's that tattoo on the back of your neck... Uh, what's your name, again?" Hitu asked. The man's eyes were hazel, and his dark hair had small spots of gray mixed in. The crow's feet around his eyes indicated that he was an older gentleman. He was also slightly taller than Sakura, about Kakashi's height, but had a small slouch in his stance - probably due to a hurt back.

"Uh, oh.. this." She stated, touching the curse mark on her neck. Her fingers were cool against her curse mark and she could've swore that it pulsed the instance her fingers touched it. "It's nothing, really. And my name is Sakura!" Her fake smile pulled at the corners of her lips, but she felt the exact opposite on the inside. Hitu nodded and then turned his attention towards the others in Team 7.

"And I have met all of you, so are we ready to depart?" Hitu had asked in a peppy voice; serene and smooth like butter. Sakura had come to find out that when this man spoke, the flow of his words were like a calming rhythm.

"You bet your ass we are!" Naruto piped up, and began to lead them out of the village. In tow was Team 7 and Hitu, starting their mission and leaving Konoha behind.

 **. . .**

After a solid fourteen hours of traveling, Kakashi finally gave the signal to stop and set up camp. Sasuke had been impressed with how Hitu had managed through the day. They only stopped a total of three times, and each time only lasted a few minutes.

As Sasuke unpacked his bag and laid his sleeping mat on the ground, he grabbed his canteen and began to make his way to the nearby river.

"Sasuke, grab some wood on your way back." Kakashi called out.

"Hn." Sasuke mumbled, and continued his walk through the woods. The sun was still lighting up the sky with darkening blues and smoldering reds, and the night air began to pick up around them. The closer to the river he got, he could begin to hear the water rushing through rocks and flowing heavily.

As he began to gather up the water in his canteen, the familiar chakra signature that he had grown use to was now coming his way. A small blush overtook his features, but was quickly tucked away as Sakura emerged from the bushes.

"Hi, Sasuke." Her voice was tired, and her eyes looked rather heavy. She had undone the braid in her hair, and her long strands of pink were now waving in a beautiful pattern. The way the sweat on her body glowed in the feint light made Sasuke's heart rate speed up, and he felt the tips of his ears heat up too. "You almost done?"

"Aa." The Uchiha closed the lid to his canteen and began to make his walk back to where the camp was set up. While we was walking by Sakura, he noticed that she had some supplies in her arms and he found himself stopping and looking at her with a questioning gaze. Sakura returned that gaze with a smile before stuttering.

"O-oh. I'm gonna wash up. I'm feeling rather.. dirty." She exhaled, and to her surprise, Sasuke was looking away now. Finally, the scene from last nigh popped back into her mind and she felt this was the perfect time to talk to him about it. "Sasuke, about last night-"

"It's fine, don't worry about it. It's in the past. I have to go gather some wood before Kakashi freaks out on me, but I'll see you back at camp." He rushed his sentence and made his way back into the woods, leaving Sakura standing alone, and stunned.

"O-okay then." Sakura muttered to herself before making her way to the river.

Sasuke heard the sound of disappointment in Sakura's voice as he hustled away and begin to pick up small sticks for kindling, and larger branches for the actual fire. He wished he hadn't stopped and questioned what Sakura was doing at the river, and instead just came back to camp. Images of Sakura in the river began to course through his mind, and he found himself blushing furiously.

"Damn it." Sasuke cursed as he picked up another branch and started to hustle back to camp.

 _Why did she have to go to the river while I was still there. Why?_ Sasuke huffed to himself as he threw down the kindling and branches and began to dig and move the fine dirt to form the pit for the fire. As he carefully lined the pit with rocks and dirt, he began to form the base of the fire with the kindling first. Just as the Uchiha finished his tidy setup, he sensed Naruto fast approaching.

"So, you and Sakura over by the river together, huh?" Naruto jabbed at Sasuke's side.

What Naruto didn't realize was that talking to Sasuke about Sakura was a touchy subject. Long story short, Naruto learned that in the future, if he wanted to poke fun at the Uchiha ever again, something was going to get broken. Luckily this time, Naruto's index finger was the only thing broken.

"What the hell, teme!" Naruto screamed out in pain, as he sucked his arm back into his body and cradled the broken digit like a baby. "That fucking hurt, you asshole!"

Sasuke smiled, performed a fire jutsu on the kindling, and rocked back onto his hands, and began to enjoy the heat that his small fire was giving off. Naruto plopped down beside him and pouted like a small child.

"I'll just get Sakura to fix it." Naruto whimpered to himself as he watched the fire's flame engulf the branches and leaves that were being fed to it.

"Hn." Sasuke scoffed as Kakashi and Hitu came upon the boys.

"What was that screaming?" Kakashi asked sternly. His eye flickering from Sasuke to Naruto, and then to Naruto's finger.

"I.. fell." Naruto trailed off, his blue eyes staying on the fire. The reflection of the dancing orange flames clashed with Naruto's blue eyes, and Sasuke could see his friend's eyes gaze over. Luckily for Naruto, Sakura was done and on her way back now. Not only could he sense her chakra signature closing in, but he could smell the sweet scent of her vanilla shampoo that came in on the nightly breeze.

By the time Sakura arrived, the four men were gathered around the fire. Sasuke looking at the sky, Kakashi and Hitu conversing on the opposite side of the fire, and Naruto staring into the fire with wide eyes. As she looked at Naruto questioningly, she finally caught sight of what was off with her comrade. As she dropped her towel and supplies, she grabbed her medic pouch that was resting on top of her bag, and made her way over to her boys. As she nestled herself down in between the two, Sasuke looked at her with a soft smile.

"The dobe hurt himself." The Uchiha scoffed, looking passed Sakura and making eye contact with Naruto.

"This asshole actually broke my finger. Can you believe that, Sakura?" Naruto hissed back, holding up his finger in front of the pinkette's face and waving it around like a mad man.

"Yes, yes. I see you have a broken finger. Now, calm down and we'll get that taken care of." Sakura cooed softly as she took Naruto's hand and placed it in her own. Naruto simply looked from Sasuke and back to Sakura and his mischievous smile returned from earlier. Sasuke's eyes were glaring daggers in Naruto's, but the blonde shinobi didn't seem to care. He just wanted to embarrass the Uchiha.

As Sakura snapped the broken digit back into place, Naruto's eyes widened, and Sasuke let out a chuckle. The blonde's screams of pain brought Kakashi and Hitu back from their conversation as Sakura began to set the finger. While she was still new to this type of medical knowledge, she could as least put the finger back in place, set it, and take some of the pain out of it.

"I teased Sasuke, so he broke my finger." Naruto huffed out.

"Sasuke, why'd you break his finger? You could've asked him to stop." Sakura scolded, the green aura of her chakra died down as she finished up that part of healing Naruto's finger.

"He's a dobe. You have to use force, or he won't stop. Simple as that." Sasuke scoffed once more.

"Teme. I'm going to bed. I'll take last watch tonight." Naruto pushed up off the ground and made his way to his sleeping mat. "Thanks, Sakura!"

Sakura nodded and then she turned her attention back to her medical kit and began to put it away. Sasuke helped pick up some of her stuff and handed it to her, brushing her hand as he placed it down in the kit. As she looked up to see if Sasuke had done it on purpose, his eyes were back on the fire, and she shrugged to herself before putting the pouch back by the rest of her stuff.

Kakashi and Hitu had gone to bed and Sakura and Sasuke had offered to take the first couple of watches, and Naruto the last. Kakashi would sit this round out, not that he would mind or anything. Sakura was on first watch, which meant Sasuke would take the second one.

 **xxx**

While everyone's chakra signatures were like small flames, flickering away lightly while they slept, Sasuke's was different. Of course, his was concealed while he slept; Sakura figured that's how he felt most comfortable, was when he was concealing his chakra. Either that, or he wasn't entirely asleep. She figured she would call out to him just in case.

"Sasuke?" Her quiet tone was barely audible, but to her surprise, she found his body rustling under the covers. Soon enough, his rebellious black spikes popped up, along with his gorgeous, porcelain face. What made it better was the feint glow of the fire reflecting off his perfectly chiseled face. His eyes found hers almost immediately, and she felt a warmth pulse throughout her body.

"Hn?" His low moan was hypnotizing.

"Oh, I was just seeing if you were awake was all. Sorry if I woke you, though." She apologized.

Sakura watched his body snuggle back under the covers, and she adverted her focus towards the sounds and view of the forest. The feint glow of the moon that reflected off the leaves of the trees was stunning, along with the rushing water of the river, crackling of the fire, and melodic chirping of crickets. She soon found her emerald orbs closed and dozing off to the all the different scents and sounds; but, upon opening her eyes again, Sasuke was perched in front of her. His eyes staring into hers.

"We need to talk." The edge of his voice was razor sharp, and his eyes shimmered dangerously.

 _Panic._

"O-okay. About what?" Sakura asked, her voice not as confidant as she wanted it to be.

"Come." It was an order and Sakura nodded.

Sasuke helped her up from her seated position and lead the way from the campsite and into the nearby forest. Once he couldn't hear the crackling of the fire anymore, he stopped, abruptly. As he turned, he took a step closer to Sakura and found himself towering over her. Their bodies were mere inches apart, and he could feel the heat from both of their bodies now.

The look in her eyes made him feel bad, but he _needed_ to know what Kabuto was up to that night.

"Why was Kabuto in your apartment."

 _Shit, he cuts straight to the chase._

Sakura's mind began to go numb, and her hearing went fuzzy. Her body was numb, but she found her mouth begin to form the words. If she was going to be honest with him, she may as well tell him everything; including the feelings she has always had for the Uchiha.

"My mission was to take you back to Orochimaru as his next vessel," the hurt and shakiness in her voice made the tears behind her eyes begin to well up. Her face was flushed of color now, but she couldn't find the courage to look away from Sasuke. It was like she was hypnotized, and couldn't will herself to break the eye contact.

 _I wish I never left Konoha. Never left behind my friends, my family, or you._

The curse mark began to burn within her. Did it really have to react to her emotions at this point in time?

"I wish I never left, Sasuke. I won't let anything happen to you. I won't go back to them, either. I've made up my mind, and I'm here to stay. I only left to become stronger so you'd notice me. So I wouldn't be behind you and Naruto anymore. I fought and trained hard every day, so that when I returned, you would notice me and I wouldn't be the weak little girl who needed to be protected anymore." As she explained herself, her voice was ascending from the hushed whisper that she started at, and she was talking with confidence. Before she knew it, Sasuke's eyes were closed, but he continued to listen to her words. "I've always had feelings for you, Sasuke. But I won't let that stop me from growing and excelling to become a better shinobi. I won't let them take you from me..."

Her head instantly dropped, and her hands clenched tight at her sides. The feeling of not having Inner Sakura cheering her on, or comforting her right now was rather discouraging. She felt alone, abandoned. Most of all, embarrassed that she had spoken all these words to Sasuke when he simply asked why Kabuto was at her apartment. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, but immediately reopened when she felt the gentle touch of Sasuke's fingers cupping her chip.

He raised her chin to the point where her eyes were level with his. The pinkette's body was immediately radiating searing, hot heat now as she looked into Sasuke's shimmering onyx eyes. Finally, a lone tear trailed down her cheek.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Sakura. And I'm not going anywhere. Communicate with me, though. Please." The calmness to his voice was soothing and intoxicating, and the scent that lingered off of him was enticing. She soaked up his presence like he would be gone in an instant. Sakura nodded softly before Sasuke released her chin and gently grabbed her hand. He began to pull her back towards their camp, and leave the topic alone for the time being.

Sakura smiled to herself, and realized that what Tsuande had said, was in fact, right.

 _I see the way he looks at you._

The memory hung on tight, and she squealed to herself on the inside. Once they got back to camp, Sasuke started his shift and Sakura got situated in her bed. As she pulled the covers up to her chest, and smiled to herself once more. The feeling of Sasuke being so close to her, and saying meaningful things, definitely boosted her spirits.

As she began to drift off to the refreshing sounds of the wilderness, she heard Sasuke's voice, almost in the distance. Or, at least what she thought she heard. Soft and quiet, completely tranquilizing.

"You're so annoying, _Sakura_."

* * *

 **A/N** : hey guys! I'm so sorry it took awhile to update this time around. I'm trying to get more consistent with updating once a week. So if you don't hear from me within a week, just assume that I'm working on it, and an update will be out soon!

Anyways, here's some floof for you guys c: adorable SasuSaku is adorable. Figured we could add some humor in with Naruto and Sasuke cause you know how they are uwu ahhh, I'm having so much fun writing this story.

I just want to say thank you, to everyone, for taking the time to read this story - I greatly appreciate it! I could really use some reviews; let me know what you think of the story! Is there anything you're looking forward? Who's your favorite character so far? For anyone who's watching the anime, what did you think of the last couple episodes? I feel like I'm not hearing from you guys as much, and I wanna change that! BUT, thanks so much for staying tuned. I've got some exciting chapters coming up, so stick around!

-Ro.


	10. Dreams

**Uproot  
** Dreams

* * *

Team 7 carried on the rest of the way to the Land of Waves with Hitu. Along the way, they learned of Hitu's background, what he did for a living, they learned of his family, and why he had been in Konoha. Once dropped off, Hitu's family thanked the Leaf nin, and offered them not only to stay for dinner, but a place to sleep over night as well.

"Ah, you don't have to do that!" Naruto cooed, "but we'd be more than happy to stay."

Kakashi nodded and by the wrinkles near his eye, he was smiling underneath his mask. "If you'd have us, we would happily stay."

Hitu's wife nodded and ushered the shinobi into their house. The house was somewhat small, but had plenty of room to house the guests. While there was two spare bedrooms, Hitu's wife - Kenu, began to think of how this would work out, exactly. As she shuffled from room to room, and pulled linens from one room, which was a queen sized bed, and took them to the next, which was full.

"Well, I'm sorry to say it, but I'm not sure all three of you men will fit on a queen sized bed..." Kenu recalled, wiping the sweat from her brow. The older woman had been moving around frantically, trying to adjust the sleeping situation and figure things out. Sakura, on the other hand, was turning a light shade of pink and finally decided to speak up.

"Kenu," she cleared her throat. "I've known these boys and my sensei since I was a young girl, and wouldn't mind sharing a bed. After all, we're team mates." Sakura refused to look at Sasuke. Her face would flair of, and she'd be as bright as a tomato.

Kenu looked from the pink haired girl, to the silver haired shinobi; a raised eye brow seemed to be asking Kakashi if that would acceptable. The slouching shinobi shrugged his approval and looked to Sakura.

"Take Naruto. I don't like sleeping next to him." Naruto's eyes opened up wide now and he looked to his sensei as if he was speaking a foreign language. Although he hadn't looked at Sasuke yet, he could feel the burning glare that he was receiving from his best friend.

"No. I wanna be with you, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto began to whine, dropping to his knees and clutching around their sensei's legs. "Please don't make me sleep with Sakura. No offence to you, Sakura. I just want to be with Kakashi-sensei!"

"Fine. Sasuke, Sakura. You'll be in a room then." The silver haired shinobi slouched, declaring lazily as he kicked Naruto off of him, "it's settled."

Kenu nodded happily and showed everyone to their rooms. "I'll get dinner started. It should be done within the hour or so. Feel free to make yourself at home."

Sakura shuffled her way into her's and Sasuke's room and she set her back pack down on the floor and sat on the edge of the bed. Undoing her braid and combing her fingers through her hair, she flopped back onto the bed and closed her eyes for a bit. As she began to doze off, she felt a small but thunderous chakra pulse next to her, and the scent of burning fires and cinnamon invaded her nostrils. A smile graced her lips.

"I saw the look you gave Naruto." The pinkette murmured in a sleepy voice. The hoarse chuckle that escaped Sasuke's lips made Sakura's heart skip a beat.

"I did nothing of the sort." The Uchiha retorted.

Sakura could hear him shuffling around the room and she finally felt the side of the bed sink in and figured Sasuke's was sitting down. A loud exhale filled the room, and then she finally felt him flop back on the bed beside her. When she opened her eyes, her emerald orbs found shimmering silver eyes looking at her. The way his eyes glistened in the lighting of the room made Sakura's cheeks heat up.

"What?" She asked, fumbling around with her fingers, and trying to distract her mind.

"Just thinking." His voice was so smooth and quiet, intoxicating almost. Sakura simply nodded before closing her eyes again. Before she knew it, she was soundly asleep beside a smirking Sasuke. He grabbed her hand gently, and brought her knuckles to his lips. Her slender fingers felt good against his smooth lips as he placed his lips against her knuckles.

 **. . .**

Once dinner had been been served, the shinobi ate their fair share, and proceeded to help clean up the dishes so Kenu wouldn't be stuck cleaning up after everyone. While her house was a full one tonight, she insisted that her children help her clean up instead of the guests.

"You escorted Hitu here. It's the least we can do!" The older woman insisted, pushing the Leaf nin out of the kitchen and away from the dishes. "You four just relax. Go on a walk, do something! Just don't bother cleaning up. We've got it." The lady's green eyes complimented her dark brown hair, and light pink lips. Upon agreement, Kakashi and Naruto decided to go spar outside and get some of their unused energy out of their bodies. Sakura on the other hand, decided to go to the market and replenish her medical supplies; Sasuke towed along behind her.

"You don't have to come with, ya know?" Sakura stated as they walked through the streets of the small village. The way the fog began to descend from the nearby forest reflected the setting sun, and tinted all the buildings with an orange glow.

"Remember last time we were here?" Sasuke didn't seem to care about her remark. Instead, he walked along side her, happily, with his hands in his pockets.

The flashbacks came back to Sakura, and she immediately looked to Sasuke.

"I remember how you cried on my chest, knowingly violating one of the rules of being a shinobi." Sasuke teased her, looking to her and offering her a smile. Sakura simply rolled her eyes and continued on her way to the nearest stall to begin stocking up on supplies.

"That was some time ago, huh..." Sakura trailed off as she paid for the items that she picked out and grasped the sack of supplies from the stall keeper and nodded her thanks.

"Indeed." The Uchiha grabbed the bag from her and began to walk away.

Sakura shrugged to herself and followed after him. The pinkette was a little curious as to why he'd bring that up. Not that it was important or anything, but it was a bit random. As they continued walking, she realized they had walked away from the center of the town, and were now on the outskirts. Mainly heading towards an open spot within the trees. As Sasuke led the way with the small bag in his hand, Sakura thought he looked quite cute. The way his shoulders moved as his arms swung, and the bouncing of his rebellious spikes, she giggled to herself.

"What?" Sasuke turned his head slightly and stopped.

"Nothing!" Sakura held her hands up and stopped as well. She looked around at the location that had stopped at, and noticed that it was vaguely familiar. "Hey, this is where he practiced chakra control and climbed the trees!"

"Ah." The Uchiha set Sakura's bag of supplies off the side and focused chakra to his feet. He then took off towards the tallest tree in site, and skillfully made it to the top. As he was perched up at the top, he peaked down at Sakura. To his surprise, a kunai was hurling towards his face, and he barely pulled his body away; avoiding contact. Once he re-balanced himself, Sakura was perched at the top of a tree next to him, grinning.

"What the hell was that?"

"Distraction technique, I suppose." Sakura cooed as she turned towards the setting sun. The rays of deep oranges and burning reds that cast upon the land in front of them was breath taking. While the two remained perched at the tops of the trees for quite some time, Sasuke finally cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

"You've grown a lot, Sak."

 _Did he just use a nickname?_ Inner Sakura was back, and questioning what the hell was going on. She was also blushing, and trying to control herself from losing balance and falling from the top of the tree.

She found herself looking into Sasuke's eyes again that day, and couldn't help but notice that his eyes held sincerity. The pinkette finally smiled, and looked away from him and began to make her way down from the tree. While she hopped and slid from branch to branch, she was suddenly plucked from the tree, and held against something almost as sturdy as a tree trunk.

 _Burning fires and cinnamon._

Sasuke held her closely against his chest as they reached the forest ground. She felt her heart pace increase as she looked up at Sasuke. Before she could comprehend what was going on, his lips were against hers in one graceful movement. His hand came up to caress the side of her face. While she was confused as to what was going on, she finally relaxed, and accepted the fact that Sasuke Uchiha's lips were against her own; warm, smooth, and enticing.

As he pulled away, Sakura found that she was breathless. The taste of him still lingered on her lips, and she was left with wanting more. His hand was still placed on the side of her cheek, but began to trail down and rest on the side of her neck.

"Sasuke..." She whimpered. The curse mark began to boil on her skin and she felt as though it was going to rip apart from her body, and take off on its own. The only reason she could think of why it was reacting, was due to Sasuke's skin against her own. Or was it because of their kiss? Either way, she grasped at her neck and doubled over due to the pain. Sasuke caught her in time, and lifted her back to her feet - a worried expression painted his face.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" He asked, half jokingly, half serious.

Sakura smirked from underneath her bangs, then let out a small laugh. "It's not that. My curse mark is reacting and I'm not sure why." The pain was throbbing now, and she was clueless as to what she should do to it. Finally calming down a bit and catching her breath, she focused some chakra to her hand and began to take the edge off of the pain. The soothing hum of chakra hushed the throbbing of the mark, and all signs of discomfort were gone. Once finished, she found that Sasuke was staring at her with a worried expression still.

She placed her hand on his cheek, and kissed the other. "It wasn't bad. _At all_ ," she taunted, and slipped past him, making a run for it. Sasuke grinned at this game and chased off after her. As he honed in on her chakra signature, he came to find out that she was concealing it.

 _Two can play at this game._

As he smirked to himself, he took to the trees and began his hunt for the pinkette. All while searching for her, his mind kept wandering back to the way she felt against his lips. The way she tasted, how warm and soft those thin, pink lips of hers felt against his. Losing himself to his thoughts, he hadn't noticed that the kunoichi was now behind him, tackling him from the tree branch, and both were hurdling towards the forest floor. Activating his Sharingan, he switched their positions gracefully and upon landing, he was now on top of her. To his surprise, he was now holding her substitution, and the cool metal of a kunai made against the back of his neck made his lips pull up into his famous smirk.

"You got me." The Uchiha admitted, turning around to see Sakura was standing there with a grin on her face. She immediately dropped the kunai and embraced Sasuke in a hug, and pressed her lips against his. This time, their kiss was more demanding than passionate, like their first one. Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her down on top of him, deepening the kiss. The way her body straddled his felt so right and the way their mouths molded against each other made the blood in his body feel like molten lava, along with his mind that began to go fuzzy. The way her body pressed against his, and the way her lips fits perfectly against his, made his body feel numb.

" _Fuck_ ," was the only word Sasuke could pant out. As he pulled away for the second time, Sakura simply looked at him, smiling as usual. Her hair seemed to have slipped out of its neat braid, and the loose pieces around her face attracted Sasuke more. As much as he wanted her, he needed to keep control and back down.

"I understand." Said Sakura, her cheeks lightly painted with a shade of red. The shy facial expression that overtook her features made Sasuke's body lunge forward, and grasp her cheek once more, and he planted a small kiss against her swollen lips.

"Another time," the promise within the tone that he spoke made Sakura perk up. As the Uchiha gently removed her from his lap, he stood up and helped her to his feet as well. Once they were both standing, they began to make their way back to the house. The sun that was lighting the way up on their way here was now gone, and the forest was glowing with the feint traces of twilight.

"Shit, I forgot the supplies." A frustrated Sakura began to trace her steps back and go back for the bag of supplies. "I'll be right back!"

"Don't be annoying, I'm coming with you." Sasuke grunted, and the two shinobi made their way back to find the bag of supplies.

Along the way, they made jokes, talked more, and caught up on a more personal level. Like usual, once they got back to the rest of their team, Naruto was eyeing them suspiciously. Sakura and Sasuke glared at him, simultaneously, and the blonde finally got the hint to keep his mouth shut.

"You two were gone for awhile. What were you up to?" Kakashi asked, entering the front room of Hitu and Kenu's home. Their children sat on either side of Naruto, pulling at his jacket to show them more jutsus.

"We went to get supplies, and took a detour back. We thought it'd be amusing to go to the place when we first came to the Land of Waves as Genin and practiced our chakra control." Sakura smiled at her sensei, lifting the bag of supplies to show that they actually had gone to a market for supplies. She definitely left out the part of her and Sasuke's lip locking episode - thinking about it made her body heat up again.

"Ah. Amusing." Kakashi looked to Sasuke, lifting his eyebrow. "Did she show you some chakra control techniques again?"

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes. As embarrassed as he was, he envied Sakura's chakra control. He made his way through the front room, and to the bathroom. Upon arrival, he looked at himself in the mirror and noticed the blades of grass and twigs in his hair. He remembered that Sakura's hair probably wasn't any better. Sighing a low, but frustrated sigh to himself, he began picking the pieces of grass and twigs from his hair and run a hot shower.

 _That teme._

 **. . .**

 _"You don't get that choice, Sakura. Either leave, or **kill him**." The loud and atrocious hiss sent shivers down the pinkette's spine. She found herself back inside one of Orochimaru's lairs. The yellow eyed Sannin glared at her, and she despised the way he snaked into mind and soul._

 _"I'm not leaving without him, Orochimaru." Sakura spat out, gritting her teeth together. The way she stood over the motionless body was like a mother bear protecting her cubs._

 _"Fine. Then you'll die." The way his eyes narrowed in on the pinkette made her body go numb, and her mind go blank. The second she began to pull a kunai from her pouch, she was taking a swift kick to the ribs, and her back colliding with the nearest wall. A loud gurgle escaped her throat, and blood began to flow from her mouth._

 _"Don't touch him!" She screamed out in horror. Forgetting that the Sannin had probably broken multiple ribs, she was hurling her body towards him, kunai posed._

 _As she reached him and stood a mere foot away, her body stopped; motionless as ever. A horrible screech erupted from her small body, and she dropped to her knees and began to scratch at her neck. The curse mark was scorching hot and tears began to fill the corners of her eyes. As she dropped to her side, the cackle of Orochimaru made her cringe._

 _"Aw, my poor child. That damn curse mark doesn't behave for you it seems. Looks like it's only answering to me. What a shame."_

 _Between loud whimpers and the throbbing of her neck, she looked to the motionless body; Sasuke lay there in his own blood, mouth partially open, his skin covered in dirt, cuts, sweat and bruises. She could sense the feint chakra flicker within him, and the longer it took her to get him out of here, the more blood he lost._

 _"It's a shame I can't use him as my next vessel. Looks like he'll just have to-"_

 _Sakura flung her last kunai at her ex-mentor, making contact with his knee. The sharp inhale and curses that fell from the Sannin's mouth made her smirk._

 _"Now he's going to die, you little brat!"_

 _As Sakura watched from her position on the floor, Orochimaru pulled his Kusanagi sword from within his body and held it over Sasuke's body. As he began the plummet of his sword towards Sasuke's body, the onyx eyes of the Uchiha opened and made eye contact with Sakura. The tears that had been streaming slowly from her eyes began to flow harder, and she was now screaming and flailing._

 _"Nooo!-"_

Arms were now embracing her body, and a hand was covering her mouth. Sweat beads began to fall down the sides of her face as she sat up. She realized now that it was just a dream, and she was safely tucked away with Sasuke in their own room. As the pinkette's breathing calmed down, she slowly laid her head back and against her pillow, turning her head to look in Sasuke's direction. Thankfully, the dim light of the moon lit up his features, and caught the sparkle in his eyes.

Sasuke noticed that the ink black marks were spread thoroughly across her body, yet she was still stable. As he reached over to brush the tears from her cheek, they slowly started to recede back to their home within the curse mark.

"It was just a dream." His hushed whisper and hand against her skin was already so calming.

"You-" Apparently she hadn't quite calmed down yet. She wiped the sweat from her face and the tears from her eyes.

"Breathe." Again, a hushed whisper and she felt her breathing level out and begin to relax.

"You were there, and he was going to kill you. I tried to save you but I'm not strong enough, Sasuke." Her voice was cracking, and she was at her lowest. The thought of not being strong enough made her feel worthless. The last thing she wanted to feel like, was to feel like she was back at the academy. A little girl who always needed to be saved.

"Sakura, it was just a dream. You're strong now. It's going to be okay." Sasuke tried comforting the flustered kunoichi. He wasn't good at this whole "comforting thing," but he would try for her. The Uchiha draped an arm across her body and pulled her close to him. Again, the feeling of her body against his felt perfect. Almost like puzzle pieces fitting beside each other.

After what seemed like an eternity had passed, Sakura's breathing was stable and quiet, and the pinkette was finally asleep. As Sasuke closed his eyes and snuggled in closely to her, he began to think about what she was trying to say. Who was going to kill him? Why wasn't she strong enough? Maybe something was going to happen within the near future, and maybe she was right. Maybe it wasn't going to be just a dream. The curse mark was obviously reacting to something, and as much as he wanted to deny it, and push it to the side, it needed to be dealt with. He couldn't stand seeing her in pain anymore.

As he exhaled, he would let the thought go for the time being and bring it up with Tsunade once they returned to the Leaf. In the meantime, he would enjoy his alone time with Sakura. The Uchiha planted a kiss on her temple, and nuzzled his nose into her hair. The way she smelled was hypnotizing, and she always smelled so sweet.

" _Sa-suke_ ," she quietly murmured, and he smiled to himself.

"Good night."

 **. . .**

Team 7 found that their trip back to the Leaf was rather quick, and to their surprise, uneventful. The last time they went to the Land of Waves, they had been attacked their first steps out of the gates of Konoha. Although that was a few years ago, and the shinobi were much stronger now, they pushed onward until the Leaf was finally in their view.

"Kakashi," Sasuke called to their sensei. "I'll take the report to Tsunade. I need to talk to her about something, anyways."

"Ah. If you say so!" The silver haired shinobi called back with a raised thumb.

Sakura looked to her team mate with a questioning look. Sasuke didn't seem to want to look at her at the moment though, so she gave up. As Team 7 entered the gates, they called out to the gate watchers and continued on their way. Saying their good byes to each other, Naruto headed to his apartment, and Kakashi to his. Sakura merely stayed and looked at Sasuke - a question was on the tip of her tongue, but she figured she wouldn't push it.

"I'll see you later." She called to him as she turned on her heel and began to head to her own apartment.

"Ah."

 _Why in the hell is he being so weird now?_

Sakura clenched her fists to her sides and quickly made her way home. As she ascended to the rooftops, she figured this was the quicker route, as she just wanted to run a warm bath and relax. She shook Sasuke off of her mind and was now in the safety of her own apartment.

 **xxx**

"Sasuke Uchiha." The golden haired Hokage welcomed him into her office. Upon arrival, Sasuke bowed and marched to the front of her desk. As much as he wanted to go home and get cleaned up like the rest of his team, he figured this was far more important than that, at the moment.

"Lady Tsunade, there's something that's come to my attention, and I can't turn away from it anymore."

Tsunade's eyebrows were now raised with curiosity, "... and that is?"

"Sakura's curse mark. There's something going on." His voice was hushed.

"Yes, Uchiha. I'm aware that that's something we need to keep an eye on."

"That's not all." His eyes were now burning with frustration.

"Speak." Tsunade's tone was firm and confused now.

* * *

 **A/N** : I hope you enjoyed!

-Ro.


	11. Missing

**Uproot  
** Missing

* * *

The torrential downpour that began as a sprinkle was cliche. The small drops that hit the window, and began to slide down made Sasuke aware of his surrounds again. He no longer felt numb all around, but his face still held a worried expression.

"Sasuke," Tsunade called out once more. There she was, looking into his own eyes, concern coating hers.

"Are you sure it was Kabuto and not somebody else?" She questioned him again.

He didn't reply, but gently nodded his head.

"Fantastic," the sarcastic remark resulted in a glare from the Uchiha.

"What are we going to do?" He mumbled, turning his gaze to the droplets of rain on the window. The way the setting sun reflected against the water particles was beautiful.

"We'll need to send a group out to find him before he comes for the village. I'd hate to see a repeat of the past," Tsunade clarified. She laced her fingers together and rest them under her nose, thinking of who to send. "In the meantime, why don't you head home? You need the rest."

Again, the Uchiha nodded his head before leaving the office. His mind was racing at a millions miles per hour, and he couldn't keep up with it anymore. His walk home was short lived, but the fresh air, and cold droplets seemed to help clear his head as he pushed through the door. Inside, he found his house as it usually was; clean and tidy. He kicked his shoes off at the door, and watched as splotches of mud fell from the bottoms. Sighing to himself, he quickly picked the pieces up and threw them outside. As he began to walk towards his bedroom, the smallest sound that came from the front room disrupted his thoughts.

Had he seriously not sensed an intruder in his home? Was he really that deep in his own thoughts? Kunai posed, he stealthily made his way towards the large room, Sharingan activated.

Upon entering, he saw the yellow tinted eyes sitting within the darkest corner of the room; the way they were glowing in the dark was haunting. The tomoes within his eyes were spinning now as the intruder lunged from the corner, aiming for the Uchiha's chest. As Sasuke gracefully rolled out of the way, the intruder crashed through the wall that was positioned behind Sasuke's previous spot. Upon entering the light, he could finally see who his attacker was.

" _Orochimaru_ ," Sasuke hissed behind clenched teeth.

"Ah, Sasuke, my dear child," the snake Sannin rolled the name off of his tongue, and began to hunch over for another attack. The two of them in this small room was like an elephant in a china cabinet; the house would be wrecked within moments. Before Sasuke could ask another question, the man was charging him again. This time, Sasuke didn't roll away, instead he waited until the last minute, then jumped straight up. As he avoided the second attack, he grasped the Sannin by the back of the neck, and proceeded with slamming the body down into the floor boards. As he landed on top of Orochimaru, he began to weave signs for the famous Uchiha fireball jutsu. As much as he decided against using this jutsu in his own home, he figured it was better to take his enemy out while he had the chance.

As he finished the final hand sign for it, an immediate pain began to ring within his head. Sasuke reached for the side of his head, only to have the other side hit as well, and then a final blow to his stomach. As he fell from his perch on top of Orochimaru, he saw the faint glint of glasses that sat upon Kabuto's face.

 _Of all the-_

Before he could finish his thought, everything around him became shrouded in a curtain of black.

"Nice timing, Kabuto," Orochimaru complimented.

The rain that continued to fall outside was back to a consistent downpour, and the rogue nin were enthused to see that this was their perfect opportunity to escape the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

 **. . .**

The pinkette had planned to visit Sasuke the next morning, but as she had left her own place, she remembered that she still didn't know where he lived. Cursing to herself, she made way for Naruto's apartment; the blonde would know his whereabouts. The rain that poured throughout the night was just as plentiful the following day, so Sakura stuck to walking instead of hopping from roof to roof.

As she finally got to the block that Naruto lived on, she pushed herself up from the ground, and to the floor that his apartment was located on. The loud knock on his door probably could've notified anyone that lived in the apart complex.

"Naruto! Are you in there?" She was impatient. Her knocking continued, until finally Naruto opened the door. His eyes were glazed over and sleep was lingering within them.

"Oh, hey, Sakura," Naruto rubbed his eyes sleepily. A yawn sounded out, and then he saw the impatient look on his friend's face. "What's up?"

"Can you show me where Sasuke lives? Or tell me?" The kunoichi was watching Naruto's face as he thought about her question. He was still waking up, and she had caught him off guard.

"Why do you wanna know, huh?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed in on Naruto, and her face became a light shade of red, "forget it. I'll find it myself."

"Hey! Okay, okay. It's over that way. Follow the road straight ahead. After you pass two streets, take a left down the third, and it's the fifth house on the right. You can't miss it, it's pretty big," Naruto gave her a small smile before watching Sakura take off.

"Thanks, Naruto!"

"Yeah, yeah. Damn lovebirds. I'm going back to sleep."

 **xxx**

As she followed Naruto's directions, she finally reached Sasuke's house. His instructions were spot on, and she arrived within minutes of leaving his apartment. The outside of his house was done rather beautifully. The yard was nice and green, along with trees that had been well cared for. The hedges were trimmed, and the flowers that held the droplets of rain water were stunning. Hopping the gate that surrounded the land around his house, she made her way for the door.

After waiting at the door for a few minutes, Sakura tried knocking again. Again, the Uchiha didn't answer. Sighing, she began to hone in on his chakra presence, but to no avail, she couldn't sense him.

 _Damn him and his need to conceal his presence._

She decided that enough was enough, and to be the ninja she was trained to be, and break into his house. While she could end up dead because the Uchiha was absolutely ruthless, she went on with her plan anyways. As she began to the pick the lock to his front door, his door creaked open within seconds, and Sakura found that she was completely dumbfounded.

"It... was unlocked," Sakura mumbled to herself.

She pushed the door open further and began her adventure inside.

"Sasuke?" She called out loudly, poking her head inside and looking around. The house was rather dark, and it seemed as though the space was empty. As she pushed on, she flicked the nearest light on and inhaled immediately, her hands flew to cover her mouth. The scene in front of her explained why she hadn't sensed or heard from Sasuke all day.

The large hole in the wall had sent spontaneous cracks along the wall as a whole, and the floorboards even had a massive hole as well. She zoned in on the small spurts of blood that remained on the floorboards and figured that whoever was here, had taken off with Sasuke. Judging by the amount of blood, she figured that he was either knocked unconscious, or he had been stuck with a senbon or two.

"Orochimaru..." she felt the room around her begin to spin, and the anger within her bubble. She gritted her teeth together, doing everything in her power to hold the tears back.

The pinkette tried to keep calm, but she fled from the scene in front of her and made her way towards Tsunade.

The doors flew open, and Tsunade was out of her seat, and preparing to attack the intruder. To her surprise, was a winded and very worked up Sakura. The tears began to fall, and she was already speaking faster than her mind could work.

"He's gone! He took him, I couldn't find him... he's gone!" The words were flowing from her mouth like a flooding river, and she couldn't think.

"Sakura, enough!" Tsunade finally shushed the frantic girl, and watched as Sakura's body quivered. "Now tell me calmly, what's going on?"

"It's Sasuke... H-he's gone."

 **. . .**

It was cold.

The last thing he could remember was the intense pain that had been struck into both sides of his head, and to the front of his torso. As he moved ever so slightly, his ears began to ring, and a wave of nausea crossed over him. As he pressed the side of his face against something cold and damp, he finally felt the balance within his body return to normal, and noticed that he was lying on his side. His face had been pressed against the stone cold floor. As he finally opened his eyes, he realized that he was behind bars, and chained to the wall.

Another feeling of nausea crossed over him, but this time he spit up blood, "fucking Kabuto."

The copper tasting liquid was bitter as it filled his mouth again. He sat up with his back against the wall and began taking in his surroundings. The room was dimly lit, and the air was cold and moist. There wasn't anyone else in the room with him that he could sense, so he closed his eyes and began to fall back asleep.

 _So this is where you were, Sakura._

 **. . .**

"...are you sure you're up for this? We don't need your emotions getting in the way. We need a solid rescue team released at once. Knowing Orochimaru, he's had this kidnapping planned out perfectly. He's probably just trying to lure you in, Sakura," Tsunade was calm and composed as she assembled the search and rescue team.

"I'll kill him!" both Naruto and Sakura shouted in unison, obviously talking about Orochimaru.

Tsunade nodded to herself, ignoring the tension in the room. The reason behind Sasuke's abduction was going to be a trap, yet she couldn't bring herself to dismiss Team 7 from the rescue mission; they wouldn't agree to it and they'd go anyways. Finally opening her honey eyes, she narrowed her eyes at Kakashi who was standing in his usual lazy stance, "I'm sending your team away, as soon as possible. Got it? You'll use Pakkun-"

"The rain has washed away his scent by now," replied the silver haired jonin. The skin around his eye crinkled, as he smiled a sheepish smile from behind his mask. Tsunade simply pinched the bridge of her nose at her ignorance.

"Right," the blonde haired Hokage mumbled to herself, "let me think."

"Lady Tsunade. I have an idea," a determined tone came from Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi's hands were clenched into tight fists and her body was trembling. Her mentor gave her a small nod of the head to continue what she was going to say.

"I'm not sure if it will work yet, and it's a shot in the dark, but I'm curious as to what triggers my curse mark. I think it may be Orochimaru's presence, but it's uncertain at this point. It's worth a shot though."

Tsunade's eyes lit up at the idea and she was instantly interested, "that could actually work. The only con is being able to control it when the time is right. I don't need your comrades getting hurt, Sakura."

Sakura's eyes traveled from a pissed off looking Naruto over to Kakashi, whose eyebrow was raised at the matter. In response, Sakura nodded, _we'll figure it out on the way. We're wasting too much time._

"Then so be it. Sakura will be at the lead, with Kakashi and Naruto following pursuit. I can't stress this enough, but keep your emotions under control. I'm aware how close your team is, but without cooperation, nothing good will come of it. You're dismissed," growled Tsunade. On the outside, she was well composed, but on the inside, she was like an erupting volcano. The amount of emotional energy that was put into their short yet stressful briefing was over the top. Team 7 rushed from the office, and towards the gate of Konoha; the search and rescue mission about to begin.

 **xxx**

"Do you sense anything yet, Sakura?" Kakashi called from behind the group. The rain was now pouring down on the three Leaf shinobi, but they were persistent. The limbs of the trees that they were hopping from were slippery, as well, but they continued on.

"Nothing yet, Kakashi-sensei," annoyed with herself, Sakura came to a halt and crouched down. She began gathering the chakra within her body, and focusing it on the curse mark's location on her neck.

 _Maybe if I can gather enough chakra under the curse mark, I can begin to sense Orochimaru,_ the pinkette's thoughts were shattered when Naruto clasped her shoulder.

"Sakura?" Naruto's voice was quiet, "it's going to be okay, ya know."

Her temper began to flare at Naruto's comment. She understood that he just wanted to help, but at a time like this, they needed to hurry. Sakura wasn't sure whether Orochimaru had killed Sasuke yet, or made him into his next vessel. The only thing she knew, was that they needed to hurry or it would be too late.

"Thanks for the words of encouragement, Naruto," she mumbled from under her hooded cloak, "but now isn't the time. We need to hurry."

Naruto bit his lip from frustration, and looked to Kakashi with pleading azure eyes.

"Now, now. We're a team, and we're going to find him before it's too late. Naruto, create shadow clones and we'll cover more ground that way," Kakashi's lazy voice was now filled with determination with a side of worry.

"Right," Naruto nodded, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Within moments, the orange suited shinobi erupted from their spot in the trees, and began submerging into the trees, honing in on any clues or chakra signatures that lingered around the area. Kakashi cast his own set of shadow clones into the woods, and Sakura began concentrating her chakra to her curse mark again, _come on! Focus!_

After what seemed like an hour of searching and waiting, Sakura's neck finally caught the slightest tinge of pain; like an ember touching skin for a brief second.

"They're nearby. I can feel it," her voice was shaky now as she grasped the curse mark. The three pushed on in the direction that Sakura was more than positive that they were at. The closer they got, the more familiar the surroundings began to look, and the more her curse mark began to throb. Through clenched teeth, she fought the pain in her neck and finally caught the sight of the small statue that was planted at the base of a tree.

"There!"

As they landed, she fell to her knees, holding her neck in a tight grip. The claws of the curse were now prodding at her skin, begging to be let out. Orochimaru's curse was created to react whenever he was around, and Sakura knew for sure, that he was here.

"Let's go," Sakura growled as she pushed herself back up to her feet. Kakashi stabilized her body and motioned for Naruto to lead the way.

 **. . .**

"It's nice to see you again," Orochimaru's voice was low, "Sasuke."

Crimson eyes narrowed in on Orochimaru's sitting form. Sasuke couldn't remember how he got into this room, the last thing he remembered was passing out on the cold floor behind bars. He no longer tasted the copper liquid in his mouth anymore, but his head still throbbed with pain. The dim lights in the room didn't help, and the pair of yellow eyes that looked at him from across the room only pissed him off more.

"Nice work, Kabuto. It's almost time."

The pair of glasses that sat on Kabuto's nose always annoyed Sasuke, ever since their first meeting during the chunin exams. As he tried to move, he felt the tight restraints on his arms and legs and immediately began to think of a way to escape. Sighing, he began to scan the surrounding area for chakra signatures; that way, if he escaped, he knew how many enemies he'd be fighting to get out of this lair.

"I wouldn't bother trying to escape," Kabuto commented with his usual smug look. Sasuke glared at him, but noticed that Kabuto wouldn't look him in the eyes.

 _Smart guy,_ he though to himself. He expected as much from a rogue nin who has spent his time with Orochimaru.

"You won't be around much longer, don't worry," Orochimaru finally commented before leaving the room. Kabuto smirked once more at Sasuke before turning and following the Sannin out of the room.

The Uchiha was now alone again, and couldn't think of anything he could possibly do. The restraints around his arms were made from a mass amount of chakra, and to escape those alone he would need to use a large portion of his own chakra. As he closed his eyes, he felt the small pulse of chakra, tainted with worry and fear. He knew instantly who it was.

 _Sakura._

* * *

 **A/N** : this story will be ending VERY soon! Just a heads up.

I'll be updating next week, so look forward to the final fight!


	12. Everything Comes to an End

**Uproot  
** Everything Comes to an End

* * *

The stench was horrible.

It smelled of death, tasted of copper, and twisted Sakura's stomach in knots. The pain within her curse burned, scratched at the cream skin of her neck, begged to be released; she fought it, fought the feeling to kill and destroy. The pinkette pushed on though, leading her team through the winding halls, directly towards Orochimaru. She felt the low growl in her throat vibrate through her body, the hate that stored up in her mind for the Sannin.

"And where do you think you're going, _Sakura_?"

The voice that echoed through the halls stopped Sakura in her tracks and her skin began to crawl. She hated the owner of the voice.

 _Kabuto_.

With narrowed eyes, she turned to face the white haired shinobi. He sat atop on one of the archways in the room that lead to another hall. His nonchalant attitude angered Sakura more, making the seal on her neck weaker and less resistant to her emotions.

A loud scream ripped from her throat as the curse transcended through her body, pulsating with rigged jolts of electricity and fire, burning from the inside out, "where is he?!"

Kabuto smirked at the girl, noticing the amount of pain she was withstanding. When he looked up from Sakura, the flash of light against his lenses reflected onto the wall. He finally turned his attention towards Naruto and Kakashi, "you think you three will be able to beat Orochimaru and I? Sasuke was meant for Orochimuaru, and he won't be leaving with you three. It's a shame, really."

Naruto glared in the medic's direction, completely out of patience and rushing towards the man.

"Kabuto, we'll kill you if you don't tell us where he's at!"

Sakura could already see the chakra building up in Kabuto's hand, ready to slice at Naruto and deactivate his chakra points, "Naruto, stop!"

It was too late, though. Kabuto had vanished from his spot atop the archway, and appeared behind Naruto, crushing his fist into the blonde's back and sending him flying into the wall. Sakura and Kakashi each gasped at the scene, watching the chunks of wall hide Naruto's body within in, leaving Kabuto to face the last of the contenders. The chakra scalpels that his hands possessed flickered with a blue glare.

"Who's next?"

His cocky voice riled Sakura up more, and she was ready to pounce, to end his life here and now.

"Sakura, go. Look for Sasuke. Bring him back!" Kakashi yelled before uncovering his Sharingan and weaving the hand signs for his Chidori. The chirping of a thousand birds filled the small room, and before Sakura could look back, more of the building began to fall in on itself. She clenched her teeth at the scene unfolding and made her way down the nearest hall.

 _Even if I'm going the wrong way, I'll break through these walls and I'll find you!_

Inner Sakura was ready to fight, while Sakura herself fought the urge to resort to her cursed seal's power. She refused to tap into that mode, refused to lose herself and harm the one she loves.

 **xxx**

When she reached the end of the hall, she was faced by two more halls, each heading in opposite directions. The pinkette was close enough to Sasuke that she could sense his chakra signature. But he wasn't alone - Orochimaru was near him and his chakra was flaring with wild intentions. With chakra burning into the soles of her feet, she took off down the hall way to her left and continued to run.

Scenes of her and Sasuke in the forest took over her mind. His lips against hers, hot and wild. The memory soothed her thoughts and her body, and it began to fight off the effects of the curse mark. Her body became lighter, faster, and before she knew it, she was in the entrance of the corridor and facing the man she hated most.

"Ah, Sakura, my child. It's nice to see that you've returned."

His voice only aroused the curse mark, but Sakura refused to fall victim to his games. Behind the man laid Sasuke, motionless and covered in blood. Her heart faltered at the site and she felt her eyes narrow, fighting off the tears that welled up behind them. His chakra was flickering like a dimly lit candle, barely alive, yet breathing softly.

"What'd you do to him?" The room echoed her voice. It was much shakier than intended, but she fought off the nerves and clenched her fists.

 _I won't be weak._

"Come and see, won't you?" Orochimaru invited her, standing to the side and lifting his arm with an inviting gesture.

Sakura's left foot stepped forward, but she froze. The look in Orochimaru's eyes told her lies, and she stopped before it was too late. From his raised arm, a fleet of snakes lunged out at her from under his sleeve. The pinkette dodged his attack just in time, and she was in a defensive stance, "get out of my way!"

The snakes returned to him and he planted his body firmly in front of Sasuke's, beckoning her with his yellow eyes. The Sannin then crossed his arms, mocking his previous student, "come, Sakura. Quit being foolish and end this. This is still _your_ mission, after all."

Sakura's mind was racing now. She couldn't focus solely on one thing, knowing all too well that Orochimaru had the upper hand in their environment.

"I don't belong to you. I'm not your toy anymore. I won't listen to you!"

She finally spotted a point to where she could get to Sasuke and protect his body from Orochimaru. As she began to reach behind her back and to her kunai pouch, Orochimaru sent another attack her way. Like she had seen many times before, his neck elongated, and he was coming at her. The Kusanagi that pushed out from his throat was aimed at her, and just in time, she dodged another one of his attacks and flung the kunai his way. The Sannin reflected the kunai out of the air with his sword and watched it bounce to the ground and towards the remainder of his body. The next sound that escaped his throat was a loud growl.

Sakura threw her body towards Sasuke's and grabbed him rather roughly, leaving their current spot and retreating towards the back corner of the large room. From behind her, the explosion from the explosive tag took out part of the wall, and much to Sakura's surprise, Orochimaru. Excitement coursed through her as she held Sasuke against her back, but her face immediately fell when the large chunks mud and earth shot her way.

 _Fucking clones._

He was standing on the opposite side of the corridor from her now, narrowing his eyes in on her. Sakura placed Sasuke's body down and out of the way, positioning herself in a defensive stance and awaiting Orochimaru's next move. She knew this wouldn't be an easy fight.

"You don't get that choice, Sakura. Either leave, or kill you," the loud and atrocious hiss sent shivers down the pinkette's spine. The yellow eyed Sannin glared at her, and she despised the way he snaked into her mind and soul.

"I'm not leaving without him, Orochimaru," Sakura spat out, gritting her teeth together. The way she stood over the motionless body was like a mother bear protecting her cubs.

"Fine. Then you'll die," The way his eyes narrowed in on the pinkette made her body go numb, and her mind go blank. The second she began to pull another kunai from her pouch, she was taking a swift kick to the ribs, and her back colliding with the nearest wall. A loud gurgle escaped her throat, and blood began to flow from her mouth.

"Don't touch him!" She screamed out in horror. Forgetting that the Sannin had probably broken multiple ribs, she was hurling her body towards him, kunai posed.

As she reached him and stood a mere foot away, her body stopped; motionless as ever. A horrible screech erupted from her small body, and she dropped to her knees and began to scratch at her neck. The curse mark was scorching hot and tears began to fill the corners of her eyes. As she dropped to her side, the cackle of Orochimaru made her cringe.

"Aw, my poor child. That damn curse mark doesn't behave for you it seems. Looks like it's only answering to me. What a shame."

Between loud whimpers and the throbbing of her neck, she looked to the motionless body; Sasuke lay there in his own blood, mouth partially open, his skin covered in dirt, cuts, sweat and bruises. She could sense the feint chakra flicker within him, and the longer it took her to get him out of here, the more blood he lost.

"It's a shame I can't use him as my next vessel. Looks like he'll just have to-"

Sakura flung her last kunai at her ex-mentor, making contact with his knee. The sharp inhale and curses that fell from the Sannin's mouth made her smirk.

"Now he's going to die, you little brat!"

As Sakura watched from her position on the floor, Orochimaru pulled his Kusanagi sword from within his body and held it over Sasuke's body. As he began the plummet of his sword towards Sasuke's body, the onyx eyes of the Uchiha opened and made eye contact with Sakura. The tears that had been streaming slowly from her eyes began to flow harder, and she was now screaming and flailing.

" _Nooo!_ -"

Sakura's mind was blank now, all she could see was black. Except for the small window of light that seeped in, and all she could see was the distinct figure of Orochimaru's body flying across the room. The amount of power that coursed through her limbs made her light headed, but she still couldn't think clearly. Finally, the faintest scorch in the back of her mind made it all clear: the curse mark had taken over. She wasn't covered in the usual black vines, instead, she was in the final stage of her curse mark; gray skin, white locks of hair, and golden eyes.

 _This can't be._

Her body moved on it's own, poisonous spikes releasing from her body and hurling towards Orochimaru, who deflected each thorn and weaved his own hand signs, preparing to attack next. Sakura's anger got the best of her though, and with her tremendous speed, her hand was already around the Sannin's neck, squeezing with her great might.

" _No_ ," his words were faint as the pinkette squeezed harder. She couldn't think, though. Her body was acting on its own, and the more she squeezed, the more delight she got out of seeing Orochimaru squirm. She could sense his chakra dwindling under her hand, but he turned to mud and began to drip from her hand. Sakura's clenched her teeth in anger, cursing the many natures that the Sannin was capable of.

Sakura's cursed form was now standing in the center of the room, focusing on where Orochimaru would appear from next, but she couldn't focus completely. The intent to kill was too great, and she couldn't grasp her ahold of her body.

 _Stay calm!_ She tells herself, but her own body ignores her commands.

Orochimaru is now snaked around her legs, twisting up her body and finally resting his head against her white hair, hissing, "you've lost your concentration, my child."

Sakura fell to her back, intent on crushing his figure, but his soft physique only absorbed her intended attack, and she was smashing her own back into the stones. Orochimaru's neck elongated again, Kusanagi positioned towards her throat. His eyes glowed with a furious fire, and the corners of his mouth rose. Sakura's mind was racing now, and she began to panic. Her body, on the other hand, reacted on its own like it had been doing. The poisonous thorns from earlier emerged from her skin, stabbing into his body and injecting the poison that flowed from the tips.

Orochimaru groaned with a displeased grunt and uncoiled from her body, melting into the ground and disappearing from the scene. Air finally returned to her lungs and she pushed back up from the ground. Orochimaru was now across from her again, hunched over in pain and panting.

"When did you learn to do that?" His voice was hoarse and hardly audible, as his cells began to fight off the poison, but Sakura knew this fight was over.

The pinkette flash stepped from her spot in the room and appeared behind Orochimaru, grabbing him around the skull and throwing his face into the ground. The sudden movement to his body made him immobile, and he was now face down in the concrete, chuckling lowly. When he turned his head slightly in her palm, he flashed a toothy smile.

"You're really going to kill me?"

 _It's not something I want to do, but if it's going to stop you from hurting Sasuke, then I'll do what needs to be done,_ Sakura closed her eyes before winding her fist up and infusing it with chakra. The pinkette felt the thorns emerge from he knuckles, and in one fluid motion, it was plummeting into Orochimaru's throat. The immediate stench of blood invaded her nostrils, and she didn't bother looking at his form. Her mind immediately traced back to Sasuke, and when she looked up, she saw Sasuke's eyes on her; obsidian orbs glazed over with exhaustion.

The restraints on his arms finally vanished, and he was on all fours, watching Sakura in her cursed form. The anger still coursed through her body, but when she looked to Sasuke, she felt her core heat up. Her golden eyes flashed with danger when she removed her blood covered fist from Orochimaru's corpse. Sasuke simply swallowed and watched her slow movements.

The small breeze that blew across the corridor picked Sakura's hair up from her shoulders; the white strands moved slightly. Sasuke finally pushed himself up from the stone laid floor and moved slowly towards Sakura, cautious of her current form, but ready to take her into his arms. Sakura was now standing and facing him, her eyes narrowing in on his form. She screamed to him in her mind, telling him to stay away. She had no control over her body, and she would never forgive herself is she ever hurt him.

Before he could reach her, his onyx eyes widened in horror. Sakura's body collapsed to her knees, he head jerking back. From Orochimaru's body, was another that had emerged from the back of his dead body. He had Sakura's white hair clenched in one hand, and his Kusanagi piercing through her body. Her gray skin began to return to the usual cream, white stands of hair fading to pink, and golden orbs melting to a sea foam green.

Sakura could hardly make out Sasuke anymore. A wave of nausea overtook her mind, and bile began to rise to her throat.

She could hear it, her blood pattering against the stone floor. The sudden heat that rose to her face, along with the vomit that escaped her lips. It was coated in blood, and fell to the floor, along with her body that glided off of the Sannin's sword, but Sakura never felt her body hit the floor. Instead, she heard Orochimaru's blade plummet to the ground, and the clinking of metal made her more aware of her surroundings. Instead of her corpse hitting the floor, it was Orochimaru who lie motionless. His own body, cut in two, lying in both his and Sakura's blood, while she was recovered from the scene and pressed against Sasuke's chest.

Small coughs escaped Sakura's throat, and the pain in her abdomen pulsated through out her body.

" _Sasuke,_ " her voice is quiet and drowned out by the liquid in her lungs and throat. He pulls her closer to his chest, pressing his head into her blood and sweat covered hair. Her clothes are tattered from her cursed state, and her hair is now short. The white locks still clenched in Orochimaru's hand, and Sakura doesn't even care. Sasuke had cut straight through her hair with his kunai, while he blasted through Orochimaru's body with his Chidori.

"Don't speak," he hushes her. His eyes melt into a deep crimson as he lies her down on her back. The cold floor feels relaxing against the skin on her back, and she closes her eyes. "Sakura, keep your eyes open."

She doesn't listen, instead, she concentrates on the quiet hum that now vibrates through the room, concentrates on the feeling of something warm against her stomach, and delves into the sensation of how comforting and warm it feels. While it isn't as comforting as Tsunade's, it's repairing something inside her, and she no longer feels the constant pain surging through her.

When she opens her eyes, she sees Sasuke's hands trembling, but glowing in the faint green light that she's familiar to.

"What're you doing?" She moans out in a hushed whisper.

"I'm trying to heal you. You won't survive unless I try."

Sasuke's face is hidden by his obsidian hair, but Sakura can hear the pain in his tone. She can see the small drops of liquid drop from his eyes, and it breaks her heart. She recalls his countless visits to her training sessions. He would watch from the corner with his Sharingan activated; here he is, now, coping her technique using the mystic palm on her own dying form.

Sakura gulps down the copper tasting liquid once more and then feels the cold air blow over her body once more.

 _I'm going to die._

Her skin crawls, then descends under goosebumps. Her mind is growing hazy now, and she looks to Sasuke once more before reaching to cup his face with her blood covered hand, "you can stop, now. There's no use. I can feel it already."

He doesn't look at her, only applies more chakra to his hands and proceeds to carry on with his work. Sakura could sense the distraught emotion from him, the will to continue healing her, to save her, "you're not going to die."

She drops her hand from his face and smiles. She can feel the way her lips are dried and cracked, coated in her own blood, yet she still smiles.

"I'm happy we've been reunited, Sasuke."

She grows quiet, and it isn't until Sasuke sends another large pulse of chakra through her body that she closes her eyes for the last time. She feels the hairs of his head against her face, and then her mind grows blank. She's no longer conscious, and she leaves Sasuke.

 **xxx**

"Sakura, wake up," he calls to her. He feels the small rise and fall of her chest, but can barely pick up on her chakra signature. It's smaller than most would deem comfortable.

She's on the brink of death now, and Sasuke is low on chakra himself, but he knows he must save her, must return back to the village. Without her, he'll be alone, and he knows he can't do this by himself.

 _I'll save you._

* * *

 _A/N: sorry it took forever to update! Hope you liked it. Only one more chapter, and then this story is done!_

 _-Ro_


	13. Bliss

**Uproot  
** Bliss

* * *

Her face is gentle, her eyes closed. Sasuke reaches down and touches her cheek gently, running the padding of his thumb across her cheek bone, and pushing the chopped locks away. She's a mess, beat up, covered in blood, and Sasuke can only reach out and offer his help with an amateur healing job.

He feels his hands begin to blister from the heat of chakra while using the mystic palm technique, but he doesn't care. His heart yearns for this girl, the one he has feelings for. Not only is she growing colder by the minute, but her chakra's flare is dying and Sasuke can just _sense_ that she's going to die if he doesn't get help soon.

"Sakura, hang in there," he cooed softly, stroking her cheek once more.

When he finally lets the chakra die down from his hands, he notices how calloused his palms are and the small bit of blood that by passes through the torn skin. When he removes his tattered shirt, he carefully picks Sakura up with one arm, holding her steady, before sliding his own shirt on over her head. He can't stand seeing her own clothes torn to shreds- barely hanging from her limbs.

Once he finishes covering her up appropriately, he scoops her up - bridal style - and flees the corridor, searching for the nearest exit. Before he reaches the barely noticeable door way, he catches a slight trace of a familiar signature - make that two.

"Sasuke!" Naruto calls out. When the Uchiha finally makes eye contact with the blonde, he can't form the words, let alone speak, "what happened to her?"

Kakashi's visible eye is already filled with concern, and Naruto's face softens. Their own hyperactive knucklehead is even at a loss for words at this point in time, but his patience is thin.

"I can't fill you in right now. We need to get her to a doctor," Sasuke's coats his voice in a calm tone, but he feels anything but calm at this point in time.

"I'm going to summon Pakkun. He'll lead you out and to the village," their sensei remains calm, and looks to Naruto before motioning for him to follow. Naruto hesitates for a brief second before limping his way to Kakashi.

Sasuke can barely hear the words through his own thoughts, for he's too focused on the small movements coming from Sakura. Her chest rises slightly with each breath she takes, but exhales quickly, accompanied by the sound of liquids within her throat. When he looks down once more, he feels the sudden pain in his chest.

"Naruto and I will stay here until Anbu gets here. We're going to dispose of Kabuto and Orochimaru for good," the silver haired jonin continues, his eye on Sakura.

When Sasuke finally looks back up from Sakura, he notices the ninken that had been summoned by Kakashi. "Come on, kid. Stay close."

Sasuke clicks his tongue and pushes off from the ground, following Pakkun through the winding halls. The energy coursing through Sasuke's body at this point in time is close to none, but he couldn't give up - not while Sakura lie dying in his arms.

The halls in the hideout are dark, barely lit by the flickering torches, but Sasuke continues to pursue the ninken. If it weren't for his lack of chakra, he'd be using his Sharingan to see, finding the way out faster than Pakkun. But he doesn't have much chakra, and that's the problem.

A tinge of hope finally passes through his body when they begin to see the natural light seeping in through the opening, but Sasuke knows that that's where their adventure will start. Making it back across the border, and through the land will be the toughest part of their journey.

"We shouldn't be too far, Sasuke. I think we can make it in time," Pakkun's voice cuts through the air and reaches the Uchiha's ear. "Think you can jump through the trees? It'll cut the traveling time in half."

Sasuke bites his lip - a Sakura trait - and nods, "ah. If we don't, she'll die."

Pakkun only nods, and Sasuke can feel the lump in his throat when Sakura's blood finally soaks through Sasuke's shirt, coating his abdomen and arms in her crimson blood.

 **xxx**

He can feel the effects of exhaustion overtaking his body, but he continues to push himself, anything to help Sakura at this point in time. It's not until he slips up on a branch, and both his and Sakura's body's take a plunge towards the ground. It takes a second, but his mind registers what he just let happen, and he curls around Sakura's form, protecting her from the rocks and dirt.

Sasuke cringes at the contact, his back severely cut by the rocks and aching from the impact with the ground. Sakura, on the other hand, is motionless on the ground next to him and hardly breathing now. They're both covered in her copous amounts of blood and there's nothing more Sasuke could possibly do for her. He can't summon his summons, he can't build up enough chakra to stop the bleeding, he can hardly move for Kami's sake.

"Sasuke! Are you alright?" Pakkun is by his side now, looking into the black eyes that the Uchiha homes.

"We're almost there, come on. Get up, you can make it!" Pakkun's eyes are filled with worry now as he noses his way under the raven haired boy's arm, trying with all his might to lift him to his feet.

Sasuke finally complies after feeling the blow of being light headed. When he cups his eyes in his elbow, he only sees Sakura. She's smiling at him, glowing, and looking more heavenly than she ever has before. The Uchiha snaps back into reality, pushes his body from the ground and cups Sakura in his arms once more. The sudden burst of energy coursing through his veins gives him the power to continue, to make it to the village, and save her.

"Good, let's go!"

Instead of Pakkun leading the Uchiha, Sasuke is right by his side, stride for stride, and matching the summoning's speed with the speed that he could muster up.

 **xxx**

If there's one thing in Sasuke's life that he could change, he would've treated Sakura differently. Possibly with more kindness, but he scoffs at the idea. If anything, he would've been around her more, learned more of her lifestyles, and coaxed her and Naruto to spend more time together as a team.

The night she left, he couldn't comprehend the feeling that overtook his heart, but at this point in time, it was mirroring how he felt all those years ago. When the green gates of Konoha finally came into sight, he willed more chakra to his feet and continued on. Pakkun had vanished, going back to his master to report of the Uchiha's arrival.

"Thank you, Pakkun," words that Sasuke rarely spoke, but he was grateful for the work of Kakashi's summon.

When Sasuke finally passed through the gates, he was greeted with multiple pairs of eyes on him. The Uchiha dripped sweat as he stood, shocked by the amount of people that looked to him.

"Woah there!" A familiar voiced called out from the left. Sasuke turned his head suddenly, motioning for Izumo and Kotetsu to start moving. The exhaustion began to overtake his body once more as his legs finally gave out.

He cradled Sakura's body closely to his own, holding him against his chest and keeping her safe from the solid stones of the ground. When the pair finally arrived, they began shouting orders to multiple shinobi that stood near. In no time, Sakura was lifted from his arms and quickly taken off towards the medical center. The light headed feeling came rushing back to Sasuke, like wind in an open field, knocking him off balance and throwing his sense of gravity in a different direction.

"We're going to get you some help, okay?" It was a woman's voice, but he could hardly make out the image of her face. His line of sight began to grow blurry, but he kept himself awake along the way, making incoherent sentences as another body hoisted him up and over their shoulder.

The world was spinning around him as he felt the wind rush through his hair. The emergency run to the hospital was quick, and the instant he entered the hospital with whoever carried him there, he felt the bile begin to rise to his throat.

" _Stop_ ," the groan is drawn out, lazily put together. The person that carried him all this way did as he had told, and stopped. " _I need to puke_ ," but his assistant reassured him that was a side effect of chakra exhaustion, persuading him to hang on a bit longer.

"Get her to the second floor, word has been sent to Tsunade already!"

He finally felt his body give out fully, his weight crashing into the body that had been holding him up all this time. When he glanced up, he noticed it was Shikamaru - only because of his pineapple-like hair. When the bright, unnatural lights finally began to fade, Sasuke felt his own body begin to fall asleep. As much as he fought to stay awake, his body fought harder to sleep.

He could feel himself being hoisted onto a bed, but the loud shouts and demands from nurses and doctors made him want to see just exactly where Sakura was going.

"Can you see her?" The Uchiha asks, barely audible.

Shikamaru is silent for a moment too long, something Sasuke becomes agitated with.

"She'll be okay," he finally states, but his voice is laced with uncertainty. The reply makes Sasuke sick to his stomach once more, the burning acid rising to the base of his throat again.

When he's finally away from all the movement and loud noises, the sterile scent of the hospital invades his nostrils. The fluorescent lighting in the building is barely visible behind closed eyelids, but the small amount that seeped through made this all too real.

Here he was, unable to move, while Sakura's form is somewhere in the hospital and slowly dying. He can no longer will his eyes to open, or move his fingers, his feet, or even his toes. The only thing moving is the rise and fall of his chest, and slowly but surely, he begins to feel the hands of sleep creep across his body.

"Keep an eye on her please."

Sasuke's request is quiet again, but Shikamaru nods, "will do."

When his mind is finally tranquil, he no longer feels the pain in his legs or arms, or the light headed feeling in his head or the need to puke. Instead, he's silent and comfortable. Bundled up in his own mind and lost to this thoughts.

 **. . .**

"He's moving!"

"I told you to keep quiet, Naruto."

"Look, he's moving- Ow!"

"Shut up!"

His mind feels fuzzy, but the clean scent from his room brings his senses back to reality. He remembers the screams of Sakura, the visions of her dying in his arms, her blood coating his skin. When his eyes snap open, he gasping for air, panicking. When a pair of hands grasp his shoulders and hold him back, he feels his back slowly make contact with the padding of the mattress.

Sasuke can hardly see, everything's blurry, but he makes out the orange glob in front of him as Naruto. When his breathing calms, he runs an arm across his face, but feels the slight sting when his nose bumps something in his arm.

"What the-" he begins to reach for the IV attached to his arm, but a voice interrupts him.

"Don't touch that."

 _A female...?_

When he begins to look around, his vision is much more clear than before. His onyx eyes only meet sapphire, and Naruto stands at the end of his bed simply staring.

"Teme, do you feel better?" Naruto's scratchy voice is filled with concern, but Sasuke appreciates that he's not yelling and waving his arms.

"Better than I did."

"Good to know. You were pretty beat up, near death, honestly."

It was that female's voice again! She was so familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on who it was exactly. Not until he was met with the blurred image of green and blonde - much like Naruto's hair color.

"Tsunade...?" The word fell from his lips and before him, stood the Hokage and Naruto.

He wiped his arm across his eyes once more, steering clear of the IV in his arm. The second time he wiped his eyes, he could finally make out the faces in front of him and not blurry visions. The memory of Sakura's blood on his arms flood his mind once more and before Tsunade could stop him, he's lifting his shirt up, checking his body, his limbs, his feet, for any source of blood that could possibly be on him still.

"Where is she?" The question finally ripped from his throat. He could feel his Sharingan engage with the anxiety that seeped in through his pores. Naruto's face fell, while Tsunade kept the smug look that she usually wore.

"Upstairs. She'll be okay, though. Keep resting, your body needs it."

Sasuke was unsure of why Naruto wasn't in bed resting - he was bandaged up as well, his arm in a sling and a crutch resting under his arm pit, "why doesn't he have to be in bed?"

"Did you forget? He's got the Nine Tail's within him. His body heals ten times faster than any person I know," she plucks the crutch from the blonde before narrowing her eyes, "this isn't a toy. Quit touching it."

"Sakura filled us in on what happened already, then Shikamaru gave us the rest of the story. Orochimaru and Kabuto are gone, so there's nothing more we can worry about really," Naruto's words come out faster than Sasuke can comprehend, so he simply glares at his friend.

Tsunade places the crutch next to Sasuke's bed before thumping Naruto on the forehead.

"But Granny, I'm hurt too, don'tcha know?!" The shouting is annoying, and driving Sasuke nuts.

"How long has it been?" Sasuke finally asks.

"A few days," Naruto recalls quickly.

Sasuke felt his eyelids close over his maroon eyes, focusing on the various signatures that loomed in the hospital, looking for hers in particular. When he finally senses her, he sighs a breath of release. The flicker of chakra is much stronger than before, burning like a fire and licking at the core of Sakura's body.

The constant bickering in the room began to annoy the Uchiha further, so instead of telling them to shut up, he ripped the IV from his arm and began shuffling his body out of bed.

"What do you think you're doing Uchiha?" Tsunade's voice is loud, her eyes narrow and holding a threatening glare.

"I'm going to see Sakura," he replies coolly, averting his eyes from hers. His hospital gown consists of a light blue shirt, with light blue sweats. They're comfortable, made of cotton and fit loosely. Naruto only grins from ear to ear while watching Sasuke move from the bed and slowly across the room; the crutch left sitting alone and unused. Tsunade gave up on trying to coax him back to bed; she knew where his heart was and he deserved to see her.

"Second floor, third room on the right," the Hokage offered lightly as Sasuke nodded his approval.

The hall was bare, hardly decorated with any sort of wall fixtures or plants like he had seen in magazines and books. The floor was cold against his feet as he pushed up the stairs, wandering by multiple patients out with their nurses. When he finally reached the second floor and stood in front of her door, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he opened the door.

Sakura's form was lying motionless in the bed in front of him. Her room dimly lit by the small lamp next to her bed, and the nightstand decorated with various types of flowers. When he approached her bed side, he noticed that her lids were slightly open, revealing emerald green eyes.

"Sasuke?" The shakiness of her voice startled Sasuke at first, but he continued his trek, only inching closer to her. Her short pink hair framed her face nicely, and all Sasuke could do was smile.

Konoha's medics saved her, saved him, saved them both from dying and never meeting again, and all he could do was smile and notice that Sakura was smiling back at him. She started to scoot to the side of her bed, beckoning him to lay with her for a few moments. And he did.

Avoiding her IV line, he slung it around the back of her bed, and crawled onto her matress with her. His arm carefully curled around her shoulder, while the other cupped the underside of her legs and pulled her onto him while he sat comfortably on the bed. She wrapped one arm around his midsection, while the other came to rest on his chest, her head resting there as well.

"Thank you, Sasuke."

He could feel the trembling of her body, the wetness from her tears through his shirt; he didn't care, for he was here, holding the girl he loved. Instead of answering, he pressed light kisses to her forehead. Her head titled up, jade eyes looking into onyx, and before he could make his next move, her lips were on his.

They held this kiss much longer than their first. Sasuke found himself nipping at her lower lip playfully, lightening the mood and overall, the atmosphere. Before she could pull away, he placed one last kiss to her lips, to her cheek, then finally her forehead.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Sasuke," Sakura clenched his shirt into her first, squeezing tightly as she leaned in closer. They both smelled of fresh soap and cheap shampoo, clothed in hospital fabric and painted in bruises.

"Sakura?"

She looks up to him once more before smiling softly.

"Hm?"

He's looking into evergreen eyes, his clouded black eyes holding a comforting, almost peaceful look for the first time since her return. Through training, sparring, going on missions, and rescuing him from the clutches of her previous mentor, he's been there for her through every step of the way. His next kiss is soft, chaste, but oh so very refreshing. He presses his forehead to hers, looking under long lashes and smiles one of the softest smiles he's ever mustered up.

"Welcome home."

Before she can shed a single tear, his lips are against hers, welcoming her home, and welcoming the love that she has to give.

* * *

 _That's it! Thanks for sticking around, and I hope you all liked it :)_

 _I'll be continuing more stories like Initials, Lost in Time, and I currently have one in the works as well. It's also possible that I may rewrite some chapters from here, but again, thank you to everyone that liked/followed/reviewed this story. I greatly appreciate it, as it's my first story that I've completed!_

 _-Ro._


	14. Sequel

_I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to read this story. I have been going back and forth with the idea of continuing the story and including parts that I may have missed, or that some of you asked if I would include some missing details. So to honor suggestions, I'm continuing with a sequel: Refinement._

 _Here's a quick sneak peak of what's in the works._

* * *

.: **Refinement** :.

* * *

 _Her screams are unbearable, coated in exhaustion with a hoarse tone bringing out the bass from within her throat. The woman's back arched with pain, her arms at her side, the nails of her fingers biting into the skin of her thighs._

 _He cannot listen any longer, instead, his dark eyes that hold concern finally close, her screams still haunting his own mind. While his back is pressed against the wall, his head hangs low, eyelids covering beautiful, dark eyes, and his arms firmly cross against his rock hard chest._

 _Sakura is suffering, but he knows he can't comfort; can not and will not, for this is a mission she must go about on her own._

 _With Kakashi stabilizing her petite frame with the cap of his knee, Tsunade held her hand firmly against the crown of her head - cherry blossom hair sprouting from beneath the Hokage's palm. Sakura's arms painted in different symbols, blood of Kakashi, and she sits on her knees with her eyes squeezed tight. The pain coursing through her body is more than one can handle, but Sakura insisted that this be done._

 _The curse be sealed, once and for all._

 _She and Sasuke had defeated Orochimaru months ago; leaving behind the memories of her past, they were left to rot in the darkness that they were created in. She was a strong kunoichi now, blossomed from the scrawny girl that she was, and now she's here, facing the pain that she inflicted on herself through her own selfish actions._

 _The glowing in the surrounding area begins to wink, the translucent light fading from the seal that surrounds the three of them. Sakura's long, drawn out screams begin to fade with the light, but Sasuke can tell the torture continues to go on within her own body. He's seen the way her curse mark overtakes her body, controlling her like a puppet and taking over any conscious that she has left. It took time for him to agree to this, but when he was finally convinced, his heart was heavy and his mood fowl._

 _Finally, the screaming came to a halt, her shoulders slumping and her head dropped, hanging lifelessly from the neck that Sasuke loved to place tender kisses on. Tsunade kept her hand placed at the top of her student's head, willing her up with the palm of her hand until she notices that Sakura is out cold._

 _"Uchiha."_

 _Sasuke's obsidian eyes pierce through the ominous glow of the room when he finally emerges from the shadows. Tsunade's warm honey eyes are sincere, her face soft as silk, "the sealing is over."_

 _His strides are quick paced, due to the famous Uchiha speed that he posses and within seconds, he's at her side, plucking her from the stone ground and cradling her like a small child. Her head lies back, lifelessly. Her arms hanging loosely, along with the legs that Sasuke embraces at the soft of her knee. Her breaths are shallow, skin soaked in sweat, and her luscious lips chapped and broken from the amount of screaming and torture that her body underwent._

 _With one last nod, he made his way out of the sealing chamber and quickly up the corridor that the stairs resided in. Sasuke couldn't remember the last time he was down there, but then again, had he ever been in that room of Konoha?_

 _It took him less than five minutes to deliver her safely to her apartment, the one that he had grown use to staying at with her._

 _The air inside was chilly, her scent lingering within. She still lie motionless in his arms, excluding the small rise and fall of her chest, but once he placed her gently on the mattress in her room, she made small groans accompanied by a small wriggle of the nose and finally a sharp exhale. Sasuke couldn't help but smile at her, his girl, his Sakura._

 _She was beautiful, the transformation that she had undergone within the last few months was amazing. Not only did her physical appearance change, but the heart that she possessed, and her attitude as a whole. She was no longer some weak girl that he needed to protect when they were younger. Instead, she was a blossoming bud, anew in the life that she had returned to in the village._

 _With Sakura by his side, he felt comfortable, pure bliss. He couldn't lose her, even if she tried to run away again; he would follow her to time's end._

 _It was now nine in the morning, the warm rays of sun peaking in through the curtains of her room, bathing Sakura's high cheek bones in glowing sunlight. Sasuke moved the curtains gently, denying the sun to ruin her slumber while her body fought to feel better, regain strength._

 _With her room dark and Sakura placed in the center of her bed, he pulled the sheets to her chest, followed by a thin blanket, and finally a small kiss to her forehead, then her cheek. He couldn't help but feel the desire to touch her run through his veins, so that's what he did. He ran the padding of his thumb carefully down her eyebrow, trailing the bone under her eye, and finally curving down the side of her face and landing on the taut jawline of her face._

 _She was beautiful, even when she slept, her pink lashes complimenting the cream of her skin._

 _"I'll be back," he promised lightly, pressing another small kiss to her forehead, before vanishing from his spot in her room._

* * *

 _ **A/N** : If you liked this, there's more to come! ;)_


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